


Until It Hits You In the Teeth

by nubianamy



Series: Star Among the Moons [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Danny, Breeding, F/M, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Pack Family, Polyamory Negotiations, Schmoop, Soul Bond, Telepathy, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-08 22:04:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nubianamy/pseuds/nubianamy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As they approach graduation, Danny and Stiles' pack grows in unexpected ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to the Danny/Stiles soulmate romance [Only Held by Gravity](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1097258). It was supposed to fit in one chapter, and I am laughing even as I type this because I don't do anything short. So, yeah, you get a new story. 
> 
> I'm polyamorous, so perhaps it's no surprise that all my characters end up in poly situations. It's not really a warning, but maybe a heads up for those of you who prefer your soulmates monogamous. This story is mostly fluff, so you don't need to worry about scary breakups or anything like that. Also, apparently, male animals don't go into heat, so I came up with a workable solution for that. 
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -amy

The first time they saw Jackson was the last week in April, when he showed up on Danny’s front step on Monday night, bearing a four-pack of Guinness and a bag of Doritos.  As soon as Stiles opened the door, Jackson was pushing past him, muttering, “I’m not spending one more evening with guys who think that football should be called _handegg_.  Where the _fuck_ is the remote?”

“Uh —“  Stiles blinked, laughing, at Lydia standing behind him on the porch.  The crock pot she handed him was hot enough to burn his hands.  “Hi?”

She gave him a smile that was almost apologetic.  “Of course he didn’t text Danny.  I mean, why would I expect him to let his _best friend_ know he’s back in the country when he didn’t even let _me_ know he was coming back until four days ago?”  She shrugged, sighing briskly.  “So are you going to take my coat or what?”

Stiles made an attempt to warn Danny with a brief _Jackson’s on his way in,_ accompanied by images and Stiles’ own surprise, but Danny had apparently already picked up on it.  

 _He’s not going to hug you,_ Danny told him, _but that doesn’t mean he’s not glad to see you._

Lydia followed Stiles into the kitchen, where he went into the freezer and dug out the frosted mugs from under Tutu’s packages of ground beef.  “Since when is Jackson a football fan?”

“Since he overdosed on the whole British thing.”  Lydia looked more mellow than irritated.  “He won’t touch the Guinness; that’s for Danny.  He’s got his own Leinenkugel.  Honestly, I think his new man on campus status was starting to wear a little thin before he graduated, and he’s missing being at the forefront of the popular crowd.”

“I take it you’re not feeling particularly charitable these days?” Stiles was keeping an eye on both rooms, but he’d gotten good enough at it that his focus didn’t slip off the person in front of him anymore. 

Lydia made a pretty little grimace.  “Ask me after he gets this out of his system.  I’m trying to get to the good part without having to sit around and listen to him whine about how boring London is.  So ask me what the good part is.”

“I kind of figured it had something to do with sex,” Stiles admitted.  

“You’re not a hundred percent wrong.  It has to do with his _apartment._ ”  Her eyes gleamed.  “Now that’s a reason to consider swallowing my pride — and possibly other things — and take him back.”

Stiles wasn’t going to question Lydia’s motives.  Most of the time these days she treated him like a human being, and he was enjoying this particular aspect of his new pack status.  “And so now you’re here to watch football with Danny and Jackson?”

“Correction: I’m here to sacrifice a couple of hours in the hopes that my investment might pay off in the end.”  She looked pointedly at the tray Stiles was carrying.  “And I don’t think you really get to talk, June Cleaver.”

“This is just me, avoiding the kickoff.  I was expecting to end up in the dining room working on my AP history project, but now there’s beer.  And Doritos.”  He shrugged, stacking bowls and forks on the tray next to the mugs.  “I can definitely tolerate football for a couple hours.”

“I’d say Danny’s tamed you, but I don’t think you ever had a wild side to begin with.”

Stiles lifted the lid of the crock pot.  “Meatballs?”

“Less obvious than cocktail wienies,” she pointed out.  “Stop looking at me like that.”

“I’m not looking at you like anything.”  

Stiles carried the mugs into the den, where the Mahealani family had sacrificed an entire wall to a ridiculously huge screen.  He didn’t bother to make eye contact with Danny, who was listening with obvious appreciation to Jackson, animatedly relating a complicated story involving three girls and a very small car.  

 _Tell me Jackson knows about what’s going on with you,_ Stiles said.  

Danny’s smile softened, and he glanced back at Stiles, who was settling down across the room in Danny’s dad’s chair.  It faced the television, but was easy to swivel away if the screen, or his boyfriend’s smile, became too distracting.  

_He knew it before you did._

_Not that.  About the bite, your pack._   Stiles felt himself blushing.  He ducked further down into the leather chair, hiding behind his textbook.  _And god, you’re telling me Jackson’s known I was your uhane hoa since grade school?_

  _I’m telling you he knew there was one, not who you were._ Stiles watched out of the corner of his eye as Danny stretched out his legs.  _You really think he could walk through that door and not know I was a werewolf?  Or that I was mated to you?_

 _Oh, excuse me and my substandard human nose._ He turned the page hard enough to tear it and speared a meatball with his fork, chewing with determination.  Jackson’s obnoxious laugh rang out, making Stiles grit his teeth.  _Does he know about the rest of them?_

_Stiles, does it matter?_

It did, although Stiles wasn’t sure he could explain why in front of Lydia and Jackson.  Not when both of them had been such an integral part of making him feel insignificant and excluded for the first half of his high school career.  He hunched lower.  _No.  He’s your best friend.  Of course he would know._

Danny drew his phone out of his pocket with a smooth, unobtrusive motion.  “Hey, let me call Scott and Isaac and Allison.  They’d want to see you if they knew you were in town.”

Jackson’s pause was brief, but Stiles heard it.  “Yeah, what’s the story there?  I heard Allison and Isaac were, like, giving you guys a run for your money.”

“They’re dating, yeah.”  

“So, what, isn’t Scott freaking jealous?  He’s no saint.  It’s got to be making him crazy, watching them together.  Isn’t pack supposed to trust each other?”

Lydia snorted, and there wasn’t anything ladylike about it.  “Come on, Danny, everybody knows what’s going on.  You don’t have to try to be subtle on our account.”

“If everybody knows, I don’t have to say anything, do I?”  Danny’s voice didn’t change, but there was no question Danny was good at hiding his stress responses, and this was one of those times. Stiles squirmed in his seat, his hand suddenly itching to hold Danny’s.

 _Scott doesn’t need you to protect him,_ he said.

_I’m just going to let them show up and say whatever they want to about it.  It’s up to them who they tell, not me._

Stiles manage to stay focused enough that by the time Scott and Allison arrived, he’d finished his reading.  Whether he’d retain any of it the next day was another matter.  Scott looked warily pleased to see Jackson, as though he hadn’t attacked them multiple times as a giant lizard.  

Jackson was openly smirking.  “So, you’re a Beta in my boy’s pack, huh?  So much for your legendary true Alpha status.  There can be only one, and all that?”

“It’s kind of more complicated,” Scott said stiffly, “but, kind of, yeah.”

Stiles wondered if Allison was going to get all defensive of Scott, but she just gave Jackson a hug.  “Isaac’s got this dinner thing with his uncle, or else he’d be here too.”

Jackson nodded at Allison, but he was watching Scott.  Stiles knew that whatever else Jackson might be, he wasn’t stupid.  “And… you don’t have any problem with that?”

Scott gave him a small smile.  “No.”  He glanced at Allison, who was sitting comfortably on the arm of Danny’s couch.  “We’re friends.  I’m not going to stand in her way, whoever she wants to date.”

“Yeah, well.”  Jackson ran a hand over the back of his neck.  “That answer might be more believable if you didn’t totally smell like her.”

Allison’s outraged expression landed squarely on Scott.  He just looked uncomfortable.  “What?  I showered.”

Lydia sidled up beside Allison and patted her arm.  “You’re a terrible liar, Scott.  Really, just don’t say anything.  The clueless expression works for you in this context; use it.” 

“Look, it’s not like I’m running off to tattle to Isaac,” Jackson began.

“Guys,” Allison interrupted testily.  “There’s nothing to _tattle._ ”

He jerked his thumb at Scott.  “You’re going to try to convince me you didn’t just have wild monkey sex with this guy?”

“No,” she retorted, “I’m saying it’s none of your business who I have wild monkey sex with.”

“Mmmm.”  Jackson crossed his arms, regarding her thoughtfully.  “Okay.  I can play it that way.  You don’t have to trust me.”

 _Big of him,_ Stiles told Danny.

_I’m not going to try to convince you Jackson’s not a dickhead.  But he’s really good at keeping secrets, and he’s more loyal than anyone I know.  And he’s lonely._

Stiles frowned at Jackson.  _You think he’s trying to join your pack?_

_I think that’s exactly what he’s doing._

“I don’t want a list of all the girls who’ve been in your bed this year,” Allison was saying.  “I’m just asking you not to judge me for who might have been in mine.”

“I’m not the one you have to answer to.”  Jackson nodded at Danny.  “You could fuck everybody on the lacrosse team for all I cared.  If you weren’t in _his_ pack.  But betraying your family… that’s just not cool.”

“Jackson,” Danny murmured.  Jackson held up both hands.  

“Whatever.  I’ll back off.  Like I said, you’re the boss.  But you’ve got some fucking weird pack dynamics.  I mean, come on, man, tell me it’s not a little weird that I’ve been here for forty minutes and you haven’t said one goddamn word to your boyfriend?”

Stiles, Allison and Danny all laughed at the same time, which just intensified Jackson’s frown — which made Stiles laugh more.  Danny walked over and put a casual arm around Stiles’ waist.

“You know, just because my tongue’s not down his throat doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention to everything he’s doing,” Stiles said.  He leaned closer, tilting his head far enough to rest on Danny’s shoulder, maximizing the cute effect.  

“Trust me,” Danny agreed, “he never shuts up.  We’ve got nonverbal down to a science.”

“Oh, for god’s sake, Jackson.”  Lydia gave an annoyed sigh.  “Look, this lame banter is just pissing me off.  Stiles and Danny are talking to each other in their heads because they’re pairbonded.”

Jackson’s eyes shot up to Stiles’, his jaw hanging slack.  All his bravado was gone.  “ _You?”_

Lydia made an impatient gesture with her hand.  “Some kind of specificity of the product interacting with the vomeronasal receptors, intensifying their connection.  They’d be adorable lab rats, I admit, but figuring out the biochemical details will have to wait until I get to Cambridge.  Jackson, shut your mouth, I’m not done.  Isaac won’t be upset about Allison sleeping with Scott because the three of them are doing it.”

Stiles felt Danny wince.  _So much for leaving it up to them to share._  

Neither Scott nor Allison appeared to be angry at Lydia for spilling the beans, though.  Stiles thought they were probably relieved that they didn’t have to be the ones to say it.  Jackson was still speechless, and he even had the courtesy to look a little embarrassed.  

Lydia, on the other hand, was glaring at all of them.  “Now, can we stop it with the secrets already?  For once we’re all in one place, and nobody’s in imminent danger of dying — and I would know — and we’ve only got a month and a half of high school left.”

 _Can’t we all just get aloooong?_ Stiles crooned.  Danny gave his hip one more squeeze before letting him go.  At least Jackson’s attention was back on Allison and off of him.  

Stiles sidled up to Scott, who’d retreated to the snack table.  “I guess threesome trumps figuring out who Danny’s soulmate is after eight years.”  

Scott gave him a tentative glance as he spooned up a plate of meatballs.  “You, uh, don’t sound all that surprised.”

“Hey, I knew you’d say something when you guys were ready?”  He shrugged, nudging Scott’s shoulder.  “Now I’m not sure if I should ask for details or just be impressed.”

“It was Allison’s idea, at first,” Scott said quietly.  “But, I don’t know, it kind of worked out.” 

Even though Danny was talking to Lydia, Stiles could feel his presence near him, a virtual hand on his lower back.  _You were surprised,_ Danny said. _You knew about Allison and Isaac, but you didn’t know about_ ** _Scott_** _and Isaac._

 _Yeah._   There was no reason for Stiles to deny it. _I guess I figured if Scott was ever going to mess around with any guy, it would be me?_

_Maybe he assumed you weren’t interested._

_I wasn’t jealous when he started dating Allison, and I’m not jealous now._ He eyed Scott.  _I’m… I don’t know what I am.  Proud?_

Lydia kind of looked like she was, too, which didn’t make any more sense to Stiles than his own feelings did.  While she leaned over to unplug the crock pot, she kissed his cheek, and he just shook his head in dizzy confusion, touching the spot with his fingers.  

“It’s going to be okay,” she declared firmly.  “Jackson’s worth trusting, at least while Danny’s around to keep him in check.”

“And you?” Stiles had to ask.

Lydia smiled.  “I’m invested, remember?  In keeping the peace.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an apartment to decorate.”  She tugged on Jackson’s arm, steering him toward the door, and he went as though it was his idea all along.

Allison blew out a breath as she closed the door behind them.  “Well, _that_ was a disaster.”

“I don’t know,” Scott said.  He moved in close, touching her shoulder, and she sighed into his embrace.  “I think it could have been worse.”

“Isaac’s going to be frantic.  We didn’t talk to him about this.  He already thinks everybody hates him.”

“That’s not true,” Danny said.  “Let me talk to him.  If he needs reassurance that he’s welcome, I can give him that.”

Allison looked unexpectedly vulnerable, huddled there against Scott’s chest.  It made Stiles want to hug her in the worst way.  Stiles knew she wouldn’t have minded a little extra contact, but given this new information about the three of them, he wasn’t going to push it.  She gave Danny a hopeful smile.  “Yeah?”

“You’re my pack, both of you.  If you want him here, I don’t see any reason he couldn’t be, too.”

_You’re a total pushover, ku’u lei._

Danny didn’t deny it, but Stiles could feel the undercurrent of his patience for teasing wearing to a breaking point — which simply meant that soon, Stiles ran the risk of being pushed up against a convenient wall and kissed into submission.  He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen if he got to that point in front of Scott and Allison.  So far, he and Danny had kept their PDA to a minimum.  

“He needs a pack,” Allison said, sounding a little desperate.  “Losing Erica and Boyd, it got to him.  Derek can’t be his Alpha anymore, and he —“

“Hey,” Danny said softly, and she stopped.  He nodded.  “I’ll talk to him.”

Allison hugged Danny, and then moved right into hugging Stiles before he realized what was happening.  He held on as long as he thought he could get away with it, and tried to give her a reassuring smile.  She smiled back.

“Thanks.  We’ll let him know.”

Scott didn’t look like he was ready for a hug, so Stiles just waved and watched them retreat down the front walk and climb into Allison’s car.

“I like Isaac,” he said aloud, which was pointless, considering they were the only ones left in the room.  

 _If he’s with them, he’s welcome here,_ Danny said _.  I don’t think it needs to be any more complicated than that._

Stiles waited there while Danny approached him, embracing him from behind in a gesture that made him feel ridiculously lucky.  _I guess I could feel uncomfortable about the idea of collecting more people.  Like we’re opening ourselves up to something risky._

_Do you?_

He paused only a moment before shaking his head.  Danny leaned in and kissed his neck, just above the collar of his shirt, and as always, Stiles stopped breathing for a few seconds before giving in to the sensation.

 _You get as much say about that as anyone does,_ Danny told him _.  I’d listen to you, if you thought I was making a bad choice._

_I’m not the Alpha.  And I trust you._

He smiled as Danny took a long, slow breath.  _That’s still amazing._

Stiles turned around in the circle of Danny’s arms, tucking his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.  _How long did your parents say they’d be gone?_

_Not long enough for us to get very far._

Stiles echoed Danny’s sigh.  _I can’t wait until summer._

 _Summer,_ Danny agreed.  _And then the four of us find an apartment in Silicon Valley that we can afford — oh._ He blinked at Stiles.  _Maybe it’ll end up being the five of us?  Did Isaac even apply to Stanford?_

_You’re already moving in with him?  Damn, ku’u lei, I know you and I went kind of fast, but I think there’s got to be a limit._

He’d apparently reached Danny’s breaking point.  Stiles snickered into Danny’s mouth as he was shoved against the door, and kissed him back.

 _You know, I think I was wrong,_ Danny said, his hand already unbuttoning Stiles’ shorts, leaning hard on Stiles’ shoulder as he left blunt-toothed marks in his neck.  _I bet I can take everything I need in the next fifteen minutes._

Stiles sighed in delicious anticipation.  _Challenge accepted._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to flinchflower for help, as always, with automobile details.

The next time Stiles saw Jackson, it was with Isaac at the garage.  Stiles did actually like Isaac, but Allison had been fretting about Isaac being worried about whether or not they all wanted him in the pack, and it was stressing him out.  His chosen solution for that was to drag Isaac away from Allison and do some completely mindless activity together that didn’t involve her.  

The exact type of mindless activity didn’t matter, but as it turned out, Isaac had one that surprised him.

“You can fix cars?”

“I can fix _some_ cars,” Isaac corrected.  “I don’t know anything about newer cars.  Anything with a computer, I’m kind of screwed.  But if it’s mechanical, then — yeah, I can usually fix it.”

“That’s stupidly miraculous.”  Stiles watched Isaac blush a little under his admiration.  It was damn sweet.   He could kind of see what Allison saw in him.  “How about a Buick?”

“Model?”

“Um, blue.  And it’s big.”  He shrugged off Isaac’s insulted expression.  “Look, it’s a car, and it’s in Danny’s garage.  Anything more and you’re going to have to ask him.”

Isaac looked a little uncertain about that idea, but he nodded.  “I can take a look at it, if Danny doesn’t mind.”

“His dad already said it was okay.”  That wasn’t exactly true, but Stiles wasn’t going to explain that conversation.  The closer they got to graduation, the less Stiles felt like parents were relevant — although Danny seemed to believe the opposite.  “It belonged to his grandfather, and it’s been sitting in there for almost seven years.”

He bit his lip.  “Oh, did he… pass away?”  

“He’s still around, but he’s not doing so well.  We started visiting him in the nursing home every week about a month ago.”  Stiles picked up a can of oil from the shelf.  “So what do we need?”

“I won’t know for sure without looking at the car, but if it’s been sitting there for seven years, it’s going to need at least new oil, antifreeze, gas, and a battery.”  Isaac’s uncertainty was starting to drop away as he spoke.  Stiles tried not to grin.  “If you don’t know what kind of car it is, you’ll need to find out so we know what kind of battery to get.”

Nudging the door open into the corner of his mind where Danny always resided was like peeling away layers: within seconds, Stiles could see Danny was reading, and then he knew the book was about advanced topics in Python, and then he knew what the first three chapters were about.  By the time Danny noticed he was there, Stiles knew how to partition lists using list slicing techniques. 

 _I didn’t even know what complex data structures were five seconds ago,_ Stiles told him grumpily.  _How can I know what they are now?_

 _Because the brain isn’t linear, ku’u lei._ Danny did the completely sappy nose-nuzzling thing, which made Stiles feel a little less grumpy.  He knew that they would only ever do that virtually, because Danny never would do anything of the kind where someone else could see him.  _If it helps, I think it would take you a lot longer to assimilate enough details to actually learn to code._

 _Isaac needs to know the model and year of  your grandfather’s Buick._   Stiles took a peek at Isaac, who was watching him warily.  _Isaac’s going to help me fix it._

_Is he any more skilled than you are?  Because with you and my father on the task, you’ve got a total of zero people who know what they’re doing._

_Hey, give me a little more credit than that.  I don’t need skills.  I’m resourceful._

“Is he…?” Isaac hesitated.  “Are you guys…?”

Stiles grinned.  “It’s a 1993 Park Avenue.”  

“Cool,” he breathed.  

Stiles waited around, touching everything on the shelves until the clerk started glaring at him, while Isaac picked out the right kinds of oil and battery.  Isaac saw Jackson first.  He signaled this to Stiles by grabbing his arm and hissing, “Oh my god.  Don’t look.”

“What am I not looking at?”

“Jackson Whittemore is right over there, talking to that mechanic.”  

Stiles turned around and looked, at which point Isaac winced and wheeled away from him.  “You knew he was back in town.”

“Yeah, but knowing and _knowing_ are two different things.”  Isaac pasted on a smile as Jackson spotted them and started toward them.  “Uh… hi, Jackson.”

“Lahey,” Jackson said, nodding.  “How’s it hanging?”  He looked at Stiles with perplexed fascination.  “So you’re Danny’s soulmate, huh?”

“Hi, Jackson.”  Stiles didn’t bother to respond to the comment.  “What’re you doing here?”

He glanced back over his shoulder at the long automobile propped up on the lift. “New tires for my aunt’s old Caddy.  I sold my Porsche before I left for London, and I’m not going to resort to bumming rides while I’m here.  You?”

“Little car repair,” Stiles said, trying to sound casual without swaggering.  _Yeah, I know what to do with this battery._   Isaac waited, shifting nervously as he looked back and forth between Stiles and Jackson.  

“Cool.  You guys should come over after dinner.”

Stiles watched the look of distress suffuse Isaac’s face, and quickly said, “Me and Danny?  Yeah, sure.”

Jackson smirked.  “Shouldn’t you check with your better half?”

“Yeah, he can do it without a phone,” Isaac blurted, then turned red, staring down at the oil can in his hand.  Jackson’s eyes lit up.

“Go on, Stilinski; show us your pairbonding mojo.”

Stiles sighed, reaching for Danny again.  _Apparently, we’re on display.  You up for hanging out with Jackson tonight?_

 _Display?_ Danny responded absently.  _Hanging out, okay.  Tell Isaac to invite Scott and Allison._

_Uh… I don’t know if they’re even invited._

_Stiles._ Danny’s command voice came through, even across town and in his head.  He tried not to quiver.

“Danny says you should invite Scott and Allison,” he said, and saw Jackson and Isaac startle, looking at one another.  “And I guess we need directions to your new place.”

“I’ll text them to Danny.”  Jackson didn’t move, so Stiles nudged Isaac, beginning to head toward the door.  Jackson backed in the opposite direction with a suspiciously friendly wave.  “Good luck with the car.  Who would have thought, between the two of you, that Lahey would have the brains.”

“Hey!” Stiles couldn’t help but feel a little defensive, but Isaac was smiling, and that was good.  

The car turned out to be in reasonable shape.  It only took Isaac fifteen minutes to diagnose the problem after changing the fluids, checking the belts and installing the new battery.  

“See this?” he said, pointing to the stains on the floor of the garage.  “That puddle is oil, but that red color means transmission fluid.  It’s definitely been leaking for a while.  Let me get under the car and see what I can find.”

“It used to make these horrible lurching motions whenever George would drive it.”  Isaac and Stiles turned to see Tutu carefully climbing down the concrete steps into the garage.  She smiled at them.  “He refused to sell it,  but once he stopped driving, there wasn’t any reason to get it fixed.”

“Isaac, meet Danny’s grandmother, uh…”  Stiles quickly rummaged through Danny’s head until he found the answer to his question, and grinned at her.  “Marjorie.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”  Isaac touched the car.  “That sounds like a transmission issue for sure.  A new transmission would be expensive, but if I’m right, this won’t cost much at all.”

Her smile broadened, and she crossed her arms across her chest.  “George will be pleased.  And it’ll piss off my son-in-law to no end.”

Stiles choked on his laugh.  “Yeah, I think Danny feels the same way, though he’s not as happy about it.”

“You go right ahead, Isaac.  George isn’t dead yet, and I’m the only one who knows what he’s saying anymore.  He’s giving you his blessing to mess around with his car.”

Isaac looked curious.  “Can you — talk to your husband?  The way Stiles and Danny talk?”

“Not like that,” she said, shaking her head.  “When we were together, we could do a lot.  But what _they_ have, that’s special.”

Danny was too immersed in his book to fully appreciate what Stiles was _awwww_ -ing about, but once he realized the party was in the garage, within a few minutes he’d joined them there, calling out questions to Isaac.  Isaac, meanwhile, was under the car, flat on his back, and he was responding, not sounding nervous at all.  

“Broken seal,” he shouted.  “Bingo.”  He squirmed out from under the car, grinning triumphantly.  “I can’t fix that without putting the car up on blocks, but it should be no problem.”

Stiles raised both eyebrows at Danny.  “He can handle it.”

“Not tonight,” Danny said firmly.  “Tonight we’re having dinner, then taking Jackson up on his offer to hang out.”

Stiles didn’t attempt to hide his wistful irritation from Danny, although Isaac’s own anxiety was probably keeping him from noticing anything beyond Stiles’ easy, “Sure thing.”  

_We’re never going to get another night alone now that he’s back in town, are we?_

Danny didn’t respond in words.  Stiles had to pause and take a moment to fully appreciate the graphic sexual images that appeared in his mind.  He swallowed.

_Oh really._

_Count on it,_ Danny said blandly.  

Isaac spoke animatedly to Scott on the phone, grinning, his face still smudged with oil.  He didn’t say anything romantic or otherwise incriminating, but it was nonetheless completely obvious how he was feeling.  When he tucked his phone back into his pocket, he was almost relaxed.  

“Scott and Allison’ll bring Cards Against Humanity,” he said.  “And chips.”

After Isaac went home, there was a brief interlude during which Stiles thought maybe something would finally happen, but Danny was preoccupied, keeping his thoughts to himself.  

 _You okay?_ Stiles asked, nudging him.  

 _Fine,_ Danny replied.  _You staying for dinner?_

He eyed Danny’s bed longingly.  _I should probably go home for a while.  My dad said something about renting out my room if I didn’t make an appearance at least a couple of times a week._

_You know he understands what it’s like for soulmates._

_No, I don’t think he’s mad, but that doesn’t mean he’s kidding, either._

Danny’s kiss was perfunctory, which felt less worrisome when Stiles glimpsed those same images, lurking in Danny’s subconscious.  _Graphic sexual images_ seldom came up for him anymore unless he was with Danny.  This was a little weird in and of itself.  He’d spent his entire life being anything-that-moved-sexual.  To suddenly become exclusively Danny-sexual overnight had been an adjustment, but it wasn’t bad.  And, considering the fact that he was getting 100% more sex than he had been getting before realizing the pairbond, he shouldn’t exactly be complaining.  

 _Especially considering how good the sex is,_ he hinted.  Danny smiled, but didn’t look up from his book.  Stiles sighed.  _I’ll pick you up after dinner._

His dad did seem surprised to see him, but he didn’t comment on Stiles’ presence, for which Stiles was grateful.  He just opened the freezer and took out a bigger package of chicken and asked, “Only us tonight?”

“We’re all going over to Jackson’s after this,” Stiles told him, “but I’m here for now.”

Stiles was having a hard time focusing on dinner.  He kept getting flashes of Danny’s images.  He squirmed as they piled into his mind, two or three at a time, and shuffled his feet under the table.  His dad studied him.

“How’s that going?” he asked. 

“What?”

“Having Jackson back in town.”

Stiles shook his head, restlessly picking up his fork and putting it back down again.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s Danny’s best friend.  With somebody competing for Danny’s attention, I thought you might be feeling… I don’t know.  Jealous.”

Stiles had to laugh.  “Dad, he’s in my head.  I get him _all the time._   What’s to be jealous of?”

His dad grinned, shrugging as he took another bite.  “Guess you’re right.  Never mind.  Be home before midnight, and don’t forget to turn off the porch light before bed.”

He didn’t usually have trouble digesting his dad’s barbecue chicken, but tonight Stiles had painful heartburn, enough to interrupt him in mid-stride and make him grimace.  It wasn’t bad enough to keep him from driving, but his stomach felt jumpy, so much that he almost pulled over twice on the way to Danny’s.  

 _Maybe I shouldn’t go tonight,_ he told Danny, idling in his driveway.  _I think I ate something weird.  I’m feeling a little off._

Danny took a while to answer.  _Can you come in for a minute?_

 _Sure._   Stiles climbed out of the Jeep, knocked on the front door, and was cordial to Danny’s mom, but he felt more and more anxious as he made his way down the hall to Danny’s bedroom.  _What’s going on?_

_I… don’t know.  But you need to come here._

The door was shut.  Stiles paused outside, considering knocking, then sighed loudly.  This was ridiculous.  He put his hand on the doorknob and pushed, wondering what he’d see inside.

Danny was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands on his knees, facing the wall.  He didn’t look up when Stiles came in.  

 _Close the door,_ he said immediately.

Stiles approached him uneasily, but when he rounded the corner of the bed and saw nothing unusual, he knelt down and took Danny’s hand.  It was warm.  

“You feeling okay?” he asked.  He wished he knew how to do that head-feeling thing his dad always did when he was sick.

Danny’s fingers clutched at Stiles’.  As he breathed through parted lips, Stiles could see his fangs protruding from between them.  His eyes were still normal-colored, but Stiles guessed it wouldn’t take much to turn them red.  

 _The moon won’t be full for seven more days_.  Danny  glanced at the window.  _I can’t figure out what’s going on._

“It could be anything,” Stiles began, but Danny pulled him closer, into the space between his legs, and kissed him hard.  It was hard not to moan, feeling the edges of Danny’s teeth rasp against his tongue.  

 _You don’t usually want to do this stuff at your house,_ he said.  

_I know.  I don’t.  I just need —_

The images were there, stark and vivid in his thoughts: all the things Danny wanted to do to him.  Within seconds, Stiles was right there with him, dizzy and lightheaded from the speed of his arousal.

 _Now?_   He was kind of asking and kind of pleading, but Danny was already fumbling at Stiles’ zipper, pushing his hand away when he tried to help.  Stiles quickly found himself manhandled onto the bed, on his stomach with his pants around his ankles, and it was all he could do not to grab the lube and press it into Danny’s hand.

 _You told me you weren’t feeling well._   Danny sounded agonized, but he wasn’t slowing down.  

Stiles realized the pain in his chest was gone.  _I’m — fine, I think?  I mean, I don’t feel sick anymore.  Sexual healing?_ He spread his legs wider into the nudge of Danny’s body.

They didn’t bother with words after that.  Stiles tried to make as little noise as possible, but Danny didn’t seem to care.  He could hear the rippling sound of Danny’s growl as he thrust into Stiles, using no more force than usual but driving into him with absolute, focused precision.  The experience was so intense that Stiles found himself coming first, stroking himself off onto Danny’s bedspread while Danny rode him.

Danny seemed embarrassed as soon as it was over, lifting himself off Stiles and zipping himself up.  Stiles had to tug at his hand to get his attention.

“Hey,” he said.  “I wanted it just as much.  You weren’t doing anything I didn’t —“

“I know,” Danny murmured.  “It just feels… strange.”

“Strange as in not good?”

“No.  No.  I don’t know what I mean.”  Danny paused, leaning his forehead against Stiles’ shoulder in a moment of uncommon vulnerability, and Stiles just put an arm around him and held him until he sighed and pulled away.  _I’m sorry, ku’u lei.  We should get going._

Stiles let Danny stew in whatever he was feeling, not pressing him for more words to explain, while they drove across town to Jackson’s apartment.  Stiles himself was feeling a hundred times better.  The heartburn was gone, and he was satisfied and pleasantly sore, even if the experience hadn’t been particularly intimate.  

Allison met them at the door, looking a lot less tense than Stiles had expected her to be, considering both Scott and Isaac were there with Jackson.  She pulled Stiles in by the elbow, leaning in to whisper, “Lydia is cheating at Cards Against Humanity.”

“How do you cheat at —“

“I don’t know, but she’s doing it.  Hi, Danny.”  She paused when she saw his face.  “Uh… your eyes?”

Stiles felt a shiver of unease when he saw the glint of red.  “We don’t really know what that’s about.”

“I’m not angry,” Danny assured her.  He flexed his hands, which looked ordinary, and glanced in at the table where Scott was laughing so hard at the card Isaac was reading, he was almost falling off his chair.  “I’ll keep it under control.”

Lydia sat with her chair close beside Jackson’s, her legs draped over his lap.  Jackson appeared to be enjoying it, one hand resting on her calf.  He gave Danny and Stiles a lazy smile — which abruptly disappeared as they approached the table.

“Hey, you can’t be doing that shit here.”  He was looking at Danny.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“The hell you’re not!”  He switched his accusatory gaze to Scott.  “Didn’t he just get bitten five months ago?  He can’t be doing this already.”

“Doing what?” Scott asked.

“What, am I the only one who knows _anything?_   Danny’s the Alpha.  The Alpha’s responsible for populating the pack.  The Alpha’s the _only_ one who can do that.”  He stared at the blank faces around them.  “Come on, didn’t Derek tell you?”

“Tell me _what?”_ Danny snarled, forcefully enough to make Stiles flinch.  

“He called it the rut. It’s not supposed to happen until a couple years after you get bitten, but it makes you smell like _that._ ”  He pointed at Danny, who drew back.

“Like… what?” Allison asked.  “Stiles, can you smell it?”

“I don’t smell anything.”  He couldn’t help but lean in to take a whiff, although if Danny was smelling like anything out of the ordinary, he bet would have caught it while Danny was holding him down and fucking him.  

But Isaac cleared his throat, his cheeks pink.  “I, uh… wondered what that was.”

“So werewolves can smell it, but not humans.”  Stiles looked at Scott, who was averting his eyes.  “You too?  What’s it smell like?”

“Awesome,” said Jackson.  He took a long breath.  “Pied Piper awesome.  This is I’m-Going-to-Fuck-You-Now by Dior.”

Danny’s eyes were glittering, and although he appeared calm, Stiles could feel his tension building.  The graphic sexual images were beginning to resurface, too, flickering through his mind like portents of what was to come.  “You’re saying… I’m in heat?”

“Male animals don’t do that,” Lydia said.  She hadn’t moved from her spot next to Jackson.   “It’s the females who go into estrus.  But I can imagine it could be different for male Alphas.”

Jackson looked horrified.  “Dude, it’s going to start soon.  You need to get your ass over to Derek’s, _now,_ and get him to tell you what to expect.”

“I — think it’s a little late for that.”  Stiles grimaced apologetically at Danny.  “It’s already happening.”

“Shit.  Okay, look, Stilinski, I don’t know much, but I know this isn’t going to be pretty.  You’ve got another week until the full moon, and until then, your boy’s going to be spreading his seed any way he can.”

Stiles thought about the way Danny had been in his bedroom, the very deliberate nature of their act, and tried not to blanch.  Danny, meanwhile, tightened his mouth and sighed.

“This is not happening at your house,” Stiles told him.  “I think — maybe not at mine, either.  A hotel room?”

“For a week?” Lydia looked pointedly at Stiles.  “No.  You’re going to stay right here.”

“The fuck!” Jackson yelped, dumping Lydia’s feet onto the floor and staring at her in indignation.  “And where am I going to stay?”

“You have a couch, dipshit.”  Lydia glared at him.  “He’s your best friend.  When your best friend needs a place to crash, you _give it to him._   And his boyfriend.”

“That… might solve some big problems,” Danny said quietly.  Jackson held onto his outrage for a few last dramatic seconds before rolling his eyes.

“Fine.  But whatever sexual gymnastics you think  you’re going to do, Stilinski, it’s not going to be enough.  You’re a human.  I’m not slamming your endurance or anything, but —“

“Seven days of sex with a werewolf,” said Scott.  He sounded sober.  “That could actually kill you.”

“Guys, we can solve this,” Allison urged.  “What is a pack for?  We’re on it.  Danny, you think you’re doing okay for now?”

“I don’t know what I should be watching for, but… maybe?”

“I’m guessing it might be better to talk to Derek sooner than later, to get the details about this rut thing.”  They were all on their feet, the card game forgotten.  “Stiles, why don’t you go with him.  Isaac and Scott and I can get you some groceries, emergency rations for the week.”

“Give him your key,” Lydia ordered Jackson.  He grumbled as he slid it off his ring, but handed it over to Danny.  Danny stared at for a moment before tucking it into his pocket.  “That’s not all you’re going to need.  An excuse, for one.  You’re… you’re taking your boyfriend on vacation?”

“In the middle of the school week?”  Danny shook his head, looking tired.  “I wouldn’t skip.  Stiles wouldn’t either.”

“A medical excuse, then.”  Lydia looked at Scott.  “Your mom…”

“She’s really not going to get this,” he said.  “But she might be willing to help.”

“Good.  You talk to her.  I’ll see what I can learn from Dr. Deaton about werewolf estrous.  Jackson, you… I don’t know, go pick them up a stack of DVDs to give them something else to do besides the obvious.  We’re going to make this work.”  

Danny reached out a hand to grasp Lydia’s arm as she turned to go.  “You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I do,” she said impatiently.  “I want in.  I’ve given up pretending I’m an ordinary person, and this is apparently the pack for weirdos.  What’s one more?”

Danny actually laughed.  “Okay.  Consider yourself an honorary member of the pack of weirdos.”

Stiles hadn’t realized how much tension he’d been carrying in his shoulders until he heard that laugh.  Then he just wanted to lean on Danny and let it all go.  But right now, Danny was the one who was going to need support.  

He watched Danny standing there, still and alone in the center of the room full of activity, his eyes flashing red, and couldn’t help suppress a shiver.  _And I’m the one who’s going to need an ice pack, and a big bottle of lube._  


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This gets a little dub-con, and maybe it’s a little heavier than I expected. I guess I should have known I couldn’t write something like this and make it simple. I do promise happy endings, for everyone. 
> 
> -amy

 

Stiles walked with Allison out to the parking lot, leaving Danny and the others behind, mostly because he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it a hundred feet without punching Jackson in the face.  But she put an arm around him and gave him such a concerned look that he had to say something.

“You think what Scott said is right?  About… seven days of sex with a werewolf?”

She pursed her lips.  “I don’t know, Stiles.  When Scott was an Alpha, I did a little reading about the rutting phenomenon.  It scared me, to be honest.  I mean, I get the biological point, to ensure the best genetic material for the pack, but I couldn’t get pregnant with him anyway, and it just felt like… like we would be doing this really strenuous, arduous thing with no reason behind it.”  She shrugged.  “You don’t have to worry about getting pregnant either.  But one mate?  And not even a werewolf mate?  Humans aren’t really designed for week-long nonstop  _anything_.”

He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.  “Jeez.”

She patted him on the shoulder.  “Go talk to Derek,” she urged.  “He’ll be able to answer your questions better.  And talk to Isaac, too.  He’s been through it once.”

He didn’t feel any more certain watching her walk away, but he was pretty sure he didn’t have much of a choice about what to do next.  Danny was there when he turned around.

“This is kind of freaking me out,” Stiles told him. 

 _I know,_  was all Danny said.  He didn’t touch Stiles or offer any comfort.  He just walked around to the passenger side of the car and climbed in, waiting for Stiles to join him.  

Derek’s apartment was on the other side of town.  Driving there gave Stiles enough time to marshal some questions, while he attempted to ignore the images Danny’s mind was firing at him.  He could tell it was getting increasingly hard for Danny to keep his cool.  

Finally, Stiles took a deliberate turn onto a series of dirt roads, keeping track of the lefts and rights in his head while getting as lost as he could.  When Danny finally looked up from his own thoughts and realized they weren’t driving to Derek’s anymore, he grasped the steering wheel.  

_Stiles._

_You’re not going to manage to put this off all night,_  Stiles told him.  He touched Danny’s hand, feeling him tense.   _And y_ _ou can’t hide from me._

 _Not when we’re this close,_  Danny agreed unhappily.  He watched from under lowered lids as Stiles moved up his arm to rest on his shoulder.  _Would you just pull over?_

Stiles obliged, still holding on to Danny’s arm.   _You promised you wouldn’t hide from me again.  That would be worse than feeling whatever it is you’re going through.  Don’t shut me out, no matter how bad it gets._

Danny laughed without humor.   _I don’t think you’ll know how bad it’ll get until we get there._

 _I know I’m your partner,_  Stiles insisted,  _and I’m not leaving you to deal with it alone._

Danny was shaking when he reached for Stiles across the seat, wrapping him up in strong but careful arms.  Stiles scooted in as close as he could get, feeling Danny’s rapid heartbeat, the heat of his skin.  

_I could hurt you._

Stiles took a deep breath.   _I don’t think you will.  But if it happens, we’ll deal._

It felt like a very public place to be holding one another like that, in the front seat of Stiles’ Jeep on the side of the road in the woods, but the way Danny’s eyes were glazing over, he didn’t think he cared all that much.  Even as the tension built, he could feel Danny opening up to him through the conduit of their touch. 

 _I can see exactly what you want to do to me,_  he said, _and it all looks great, but I think it’s going to have to wait until we get back to Jackson’s._

Danny’s arms tightened around him, pulling him further over into his lap on the passenger seat.  Stiles hesitated only a moment before finding a spot to wedge his knee and straddling Danny, feeling how hard he was already.  The way Danny rubbed against the crease of Stiles’ shorts made him ache.  

 _I could take you right here, ku’u lei._ He traced the veins on the side of Stiles’ neck with his tongue.   _I could hold you with my teeth and you could sink right down on my cock, and I could —_

 _Danny,_  Stiles protested, struggling for breath, but still not willing to move one inch from where he was at that moment.   _You don’t want to do that._

 _Yeah.  I do._ Danny emphasized his words with a grinding thrust.  Stiles gnawed on his lip.

_If I said yes, and we got arrested for public indecency, my dad would probably be really pissed off.  Not to mention your dad._

That made Danny pause.  He shifted uneasily.   _And if I said I could hear them coming, before they got close enough to notice us?_

_Yeah, I’d normally believe you.  And trust me, on any other day, I’d be all over that.  But you’re not thinking clearly, and if you — god — start fucking me in my car, I’m not going to be thinking clearly either._

Danny’s growl settled over him like a thick fog.  He quivered at the press of Danny’s clawed fingernails into the sensitive underside of his arms.   _Maybe you just need me to tell you to shut up and take it like a good boy._

Stiles cursed every nonexistent god that was casting him in the role of the responsible one at that moment.   _Yeah, maybe I do need that, but it should probably wait until we get back to a place that doesn’t have glass walls._

 _You’re the one who pulled over,_  Danny snapped.

_So let me get my hand in your pants and do something about it.  Or, I don’t know, I could blow you right here against the car.  Something that would be easy to stop, if we have to?_

“No!”  Danny’s voice was rougher and thicker than usual.  He sat up, shifting Stiles off his lap and onto his leg.  Stiles had to duck his head to keep from banging it on the rear-view mirror.  “No.  That’s… not going to help.”

“Why not?  Take the edge off, at least.”  

Danny didn’t answer, breathing hard.  Stiles got it.

“You… have to, uh.  To fuck something?”

He nodded once.  Stiles could feel the pulse of him, hot and insistent, against his thigh, and furrowed his brow. 

“It’s not like you’re going to get anywhere with me anyway.  Your pack’s not going to grow any faster if you come in my ass instead of my mouth.”

_You can argue with me all you want.  I’m not going to have any better answers for you.  I’m just telling you what I need._

Stiles glanced out at the dark, silent woods.   _You're telling me you need to throw me on the ground right out there and —_

 _Yes.  Yes, that’s exactly what I need.  Fuck._   Danny groaned, writhing under Stiles weight.   _You’d better get off my lap before I stop taking no for an answer._

That didn’t make Stiles any less scared, or any less turned on, but he scrambled back to the driver’s seat, watching Danny compose himself.  

 _Okay,_  Danny said at last.  _We’ll go to Derek’s.  I’ll get the information we need to make it through this.  And then we’re going to set some ground rules to keep you safe, and to keep me from hating myself afterward._

Stiles nodded in relief.   _Yeah.  That sounds good._

He shot Danny little glances as he retraced his way out of the woods and back onto the main road, but Danny stayed on his side of the car the rest of the way to Derek’s.  It wasn’t until they reached the parking lot that he touched Stiles again, just a brush of a fingertip on his hand.  

“You know I love you, right?” he said.

That made Stiles squirm, but he nodded. They didn’t use those words very often; the feelings were always there.  “I, uh.  Yeah.  I love you too.”

“And I always want to take care of you, and protect you?”

“Jesus.”  Stiles stared at his lap.  “You’re really doing this now?”

“I have to,” Danny said firmly.  “If I don’t say it now, I think… you might start to wonder, in the next couple days.”  He didn’t look any more happy than Stiles felt.  “I really don’t like the idea of being forced to do anything.  Or forcing you to do anything.”

Stiles shook his head.  “Dude, I’m not being forced.  I’m right here.  My choice, whatever happens.”

“Yeah, but… I think there’s a chance I might end up forcing you.”  He gritted his teeth.  “God, this is  _not_  okay.”

“Come on.”  Stiles opened his door, stepping out onto the pavement.  “Let’s get this conversation over with.”  

They hadn’t let Derek know they were coming, but he met them on the porch anyway, nostrils flaring and eyes wide.  

“What the hell?”

“Yeah,” Danny said heavily.  “Can we come in?  I have some questions, and I think you’re the only one who can answer them.”

Derek followed Danny with his eyes down the corridor.  “You got the bite just a couple months ago.  This can’t be happening.”

“You really think I’m faking it?” growled Danny, and Derek stumbled back against the door frame, flinching away.  Stiles gave Danny a nudge, pushing him through the doorway into Derek’s apartment.

“So if we can get past the denial… can you clear up a few things?”  Stiles tried not to glare at Derek.  He’d been easier to tolerate when he’d been an asshole.  “I get that there’s some kind of biological imperative here.  But what the hell?  Danny’s  _gay._   For one thing, he can’t make baby werewolves with me, so why would he still want to try?  And for another, even if he had female werewolf pack members, he’s not going to  _want_  to make baby werewolves with any of them.”

Derek shook his head, shutting the door behind him.  “Last one first.  I don’t think you can make that assumption.  I mean, I only went through the rut once, so my sample size isn’t all that big for males.  But common knowledge says, the rut doesn’t recognize gender, only number.”

“Number,” Danny echoed.  He swallowed.  “You’re saying I need to — do this with my whole pack.”

“Not necessarily.  It passes more quickly, though, if you do.”  Derek’s lip twitched.  “Think of it like… filling a quota.”

Stiles closed his eyes.   _I was wrong.  He’s still an asshole, even if he’s not an Alpha anymore._   “That doesn’t answer why the gender doesn’t matter.  If the purpose is procreation —“

“See, I don’t think you can make that assumption either,” Derek said.  “I don’t think anybody knows for sure  _why_  we do it.  But the outcome is stronger pack bonding.  It also leads to larger packs, because the pheromones draw Omegas to the Alpha.”

“But Jackson said the Alpha’s the only one who’s fertile, and only during the rut,” said Danny.  “Wouldn’t that imply the purpose is to make more werewolves?”

“Maybe, but my mom thought it was more likely an indirect purpose.  Werewolves have two methods of reproduction, after all — the bite, or birth — and both carry risks and uncertainties, but birth is more likely to result in larger packs.  Most werewolves are born to clans or larger packs because smaller groups tend to be temporary, breaking up after a couple years.  When female Alphas go into estrous, they inevitably get pregnant, but they also bond with each of the members of their pack in the process.  This means more adults protecting the cub or cubs.  Bigger packs are more stable.”

Danny was obviously trying his best to focus on what Derek was saying, but he was more restless than Stiles had ever seen him, pacing across the room, arms crossed.  “So that’s what happens with female Alphas.  What happened with you?”

“I wasn’t Alpha for very long,” said Derek, his voice quiet, “but it was long enough to go through one cycle.  It was — intense.”  

Stiles felt a surge of unexpected sympathy.  “Your pack.  Boyd, Erica, Isaac.”  He watched Derek nod stiffly.  “They were with you for that?”

“Yeah.”  Derek looked away.  “I thought you were here about you.”

“I am.”

“Because I’m not looking to join another pack.”

Stiles looked at Danny.  “I don’t think you were being invited.”

The offended expression on Derek’s face made Stiles want to punch him again.  Combined with the sympathy, it was a weird experience.  

“What about jealousy?” asked Danny, obviously trying to redirect.  “Isn’t that a problem?”

Derek shook his head.  “The pheromones calm the pack.  Wolves get plenty jealous, but not during a rut.  You might as well stop trying to play by human rules regarding relationships.”

Stiles sighed.  “Okay, look.  What about reproduction?  Would a werewolf and a human ever be genetically compatible?  I mean, a male and a female.  I wasn’t asking if  _I —“_

“No.”

“But you said during a rut, the Alpha’s always fertile.  Wouldn’t that —“

“I think we got what we needed,” Danny stood, gesturing for Stiles to follow.  “Thanks for your time.”

 _What’s going on?_  Stiles asked, hurrying after Danny to the car.   _I had more questions._

_He’s not going to know anything more that would help us, Stiles._

Danny’s face was closed, but Stiles could feel something else was going on underneath.  He pushed in closer, peeling away the layers, and froze, his hand inches from the door handle.  “You don’t think —?”

_I'm just drawing conclusions, but if the Alpha’s always fertile during a rut, Erica would have gotten pregnant._

“Holy shit.”  Stiles climbed in, slowly putting on his seat belt.  “And I kept asking about procreation.  Who’s the asshole now.”  

_You weren’t trying to hurt him._

He leaned his head back against the seat.  “Well, he’d never tell us, if she had been.  And there’s no way I’m going to ask Isaac.”

 _It doesn’t matter right now._    _Start the car._

Stiles drove back to Jackson’s as fast as he could without breaking any traffic laws, because he hadn’t been kidding about his dad being pissed off.  Danny was starting to make some pretty distracting noises, growls intermixed with restless moans.  Stiles might not be able to smell his pheromones, but all of his other senses were thoroughly inundated with Danny’s drive to  _do things_  to him.  No, not just any thing; this  _one thing._

 _You’re going to go inside,_  Danny said, gripping the vinyl upholstery of his seat.   _You’re going to tell Jackson and Lydia that if they hear anything that sounds like a struggle, they’re coming in to get you._ His eyes simmered, a deep, rich burgundy, as he pressed the key into Stiles’ hand.   _And then you’re going into the bedroom to wait for me._

 _Is this where I’m supposed to say something like 'who the fuck do you think you are?'_   Stiles darted forward to kiss Danny’s trembling cheek.   _Because  I think that sounds awesome._

Jackson let him in, scowling the whole time.  “Hope you’re hungry.  Allison and Isaac bought you a whole fucking grocery store, so help yourself.  Except the raspberries; the raspberries are mine.”

Lydia was simultaneously hunched over her laptop and poring over a thick book with a brown leather cover.  “Have you  _seen_  the stuff Allison’s father has in his library?  And such poor security.  A person could rob him blind, were they motivated to do so.”

Stiles set the key on the kitchen table.  “I’m supposed to tell you that if you hear me screaming or — what did he say?  The sound of a struggle -- you’re to come in and rescue me.”

“One werewolf on duty at all time; check.”  Lydia looked up with a brisk smile.  “I’m brimming with fascinating knowledge about werewolf estrous, which I am going to assume you will want to know later.  Jackson’s good lube is in the bottom drawer of his nightstand —“  

“Hey!”

“— and Mrs. McCall said she’d issue Scott a doctor’s notice to bring to school.  She’ll call your dad, too, but she wants  _you_  to call her to confirm you’re okay in the next twenty-four hours.  Allison said the three of them would be by tomorrow after classes.  I’ll be here in the morning, but until then, Jackson’s your watchdog.  Oh, and there’s a robe on the back of the door.”

“This is  _not_  the Whittemore Hilton,” Jackson objected, but Stiles was already heading for the bedroom, stripping off his shirt.  

Danny’s thoughts were murkier now, less distinct.  He wasn’t bothering to make words anymore, but Stiles thought they were pretty much done with words.  He did find himself wondering if Danny could smell  _him,_  and if he smelled like anything special, other than horny teenage boy. 

Danny didn’t come storming in, snarling with eyes glowing, or anything like that.  He was calm, and closed the bedroom door gently, watching Stiles kick his jeans to the floor.  

Stiles fluttered his eyelashes at him.   _Am I being a good boy now?_

It was as though Danny didn’t hear him.  His gaze was fixed on the movement of Stiles’ legs, his hands on the bottle.  Tracking him.  Stiles felt a moment of unease.   _Like prey._   

An instant later, Danny was on top of him, crushing him to the bed in complete silence.  His breath was hot and oppressive against Stiles’ throat, but he didn’t use his teeth.  His eyes, still dark red, were the only outward sign of the wolf, if you didn’t count his astonishing speed and strength.  He only needed one hand to hold Stiles down while he stripped off his own shorts, then pushed Stiles' legs apart with one knee.  

There was a moment during which Stiles considered going ahead with no lubrication, relying on what was left from earlier that evening, but then he decided he hadn’t completely lost all rational thought. If they were going to be doing this for an entire week, he was going to need all the help he could get.

 _Danny,_  he said.   _The lube.  I need that before you — it’s in the bottom drawer._

There was no response.  Stiles decided he was not going to panic.  He struggled for about three seconds before deciding trying to get away was futile.   _Dirty tricks next._   He slid a hand up between their bare chests and flicked Danny’s nose.  

“Hey,” he said loudly.  “Boss.  Wake up.”

Danny’s face was comical, but Stiles was too worked up to laugh.  He looked into Stiles’ face carefully, inspecting him.  Then he sniffed him.  

“I don’t want to yell for Jackson.  Really, I  _really_  don’t want to.  And maybe I should have just lubed myself up and not assumed you’d be lucid enough to do it.  But —“  Stiles took a shaky breath.  “I wish you were.  I’d rather not just be a warm body, here.”

 _No, ku’u lei,_  came Danny’s muted thought.   _No one else like you._

It was more of a relief than he’d expected, to hear Danny say that, and he closed his eyes as Danny kissed away the tears that didn’t quite fall.  He was grateful, too, that Danny took the initiative to root around in Jackson’s drawer for whatever bottle of slick stuff he apparently owned.  The fear of Danny losing control was insignificant compared to the potential horror spawned by the surprises he might find in Jackson’s sex toy box.  But then Danny’s fingers were inside him, coating him efficiently with slickness, and he stopped thinking anything except  _god, at last._

There was no risk of Lydia or Jackson thinking he was struggling, not tonight.  The act was as quiet and efficient as it had been in Danny’s bedroom earlier.  He was carried along by the way Danny was looking at him, the intensity of his thrusts, and when Stiles began to whimper and squirm, Danny didn’t keep him from moving his hand in between their bodies to finish himself off.  He didn’t  _help_ , either, but Stiles really didn’t expect that, not in the state Danny was in. When he was done, there was no snuggling; he simply fell asleep on Jackson’s pillow.

Stiles decided wearing the robe would be too much insult to injury, and slipped back into his jeans and t-shirt before making the trip across the hall to the bathroom to clean up.  When he peeked around the corner and saw Lydia and Jackson in front of the television, he gathered his courage and pulled up a chair beside them.  

Jackson looked more annoyed than embarrassed by Stiles’ presence, but he passed him the bowl of chips without comment.  Lydia barely acknowledged his presence until the commercial, when she reached over and grabbed a notebook, facing him cross-legged across Jackson.  

“It’s definitely a mating urge,” she said.  “No matter what Derek’s theory is about bonding.  Alpha werewolves don’t go into heat until they’re mature.  In the case of werewolves created from an Alpha bite, that usually means three years, maybe four, after the wolf’s creation.”

“So Danny’s an anomaly,” Stiles said.

“Yes.  In males, it happens every couple years and lasts an average of a week, between four to ten days, and it always happens directly prior to a full moon — which is to say, the wolves mate, then they shift.  This is supposedly the only time when Alpha werewolves are fertile, males or females.  When it’s a male Alpha, female werewolves respond to the rut.  Werewolves are reflex ovulators, so they’re automatically fertile at the time males are in heat.”

“Commercial’s over,” Jackson grunted.  Lydia gave the television a cursory glance and turned back to Stiles, not lowering her voice at all.  

“The Alpha male will mate with all the females in his pack when he’s in heat - and usually all the males as well.  Typically biology trumps sexual preference during a heat.  Males rut several times a day while eating copiously between and sleeping most of the rest of the time.”  She cocked her head.  “Are you hungry?”

“Not really?”  

“You might want to eat anyway, and sleep when he does.  Several times a day means overnight, too.  He could wake you up any time.”

“It sounds so romantic the way you describe it.”

Lydia snorted, but she looked completely serious.  “I’m not trying to make it sound palatable.  I’m trying to tell you how it is.  You should know what to expect.  Stiles, nobody goes through their heat alone.  It’s a pack responsibility.”

“It’s  _my_  responsibility,” he insisted.  “It’s not Danny and Stiles and these other people.  It’s us, together.  We’re pairbonded.  I’m not going to give up on him.”

“A pairbond doesn’t count for shit if you’re  _dead,”_  she retorted.  

He was quiet for a few minutes, letting the sound of the television and Jackson crunching on chips blur his thinking.

“You think I should — let somebody else take over?” he asked at last.  His voice didn’t shake too badly.

“I think you should keep it in mind.  This is hour one.  When you’re on hour fifteen, or hour thirty, or hour fifty, it’s going to feel a lot less pleasant.”  She leaned in and patted his hand.  “Don’t worry.  If you’re  _actually_  going to die, at least I'll be able to let you know in advance.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This continues to get more and more complicated. So much for sweet and light. =P But happy endings, I promise! In the meantime... complicated. Warning for some borderline dubcon and implied Danny/Jackson.

The first night was hard to remember later with any clarity.  Stiles found himself losing count of the number of times Danny woke him to mount him.  Each time it happened, he thought for sure would be the last, but Danny didn’t seem to be either tired or in any kind of a hurry.  He fucked Stiles slowly, with focused attention.  Once he didn’t even bother to climb on top, but simply slid into him from behind, hooking one leg over and reaching a hand around to stroke Stiles’ cock.  There was no way Stiles was going to get hard again, not after coming at least three times that night, but it still felt exquisite.  Another time he woke up in the midst of being fucked and fell asleep again before Danny was done.  

It was surprising how well his body seemed to be tolerating the constant penetration.  He took the tube of lubricant into the bathroom with him at one point to read the label, and concluded he would be forever after a silicone lube convert.  

When Stiles woke to faint sunlight and Danny gently snoring in a heap beside him, he decided food was more important than a shower.  The amazing smell coming from the kitchen definitely helped make up his mind.  He winced a little as he pulled on his jeans, but he had no idea who else was out there, and he wasn’t going to intentionally make things more awkward than they already were.

Jackson was crashed out on the couch, but Allison was sitting at the table with Isaac, and Scott stood in front of the stove, scrambling eggs. He gave Stiles a speculative smile.  “Hey.  We weren’t sure if we’d actually see you or not.”

“Are you skipping class?”  Stiles wasn’t going to complain, not if Scott could make the kitchen smell like that.  He filched a bite of eggs with two fingers and crammed it into his mouth.

“Dude, use a fork. And school doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes.”  Scott slid a plate across the table toward him and gently flipped the next batch of eggs on the stove with a spatula.  “We’ll be back after.  I think it would look bad if you and I were absent at the same time.”

Each forkful of eggs was like a revelation.  Stiles didn’t say anything for several minutes while he ate, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, not even when Allison started laughing.

“So you look like you’re doing okay?” she asked, as he finally began to slow down.  

“I’m surprisingly okay,” he agreed.  “Of course, day one of seven.”  He considered the chair, then added, “But I’ll stay standing, if you don’t mind.”

He decided not to say anything about the lube.  Allison would have been cool with TMI, but he still didn’t know how to handle the thing about Scott and Isaac.  On the other hand, maybe they weren’t doing anything with each other that involved lube.  He wasn’t going to make any assumptions.   

“More eggs?” Scott asked, not looking at him.  Stiles shook his head.

“If Danny’s feeling anything like I am, he’s going to be freaking starving when he wakes up.  Stick ‘em in a bowl and leave them in the fridge.”  

If Scott was avoiding his eyes, Isaac’s eyes were begging Stiles to  _look at me_.  Stiles brought the eggs over and leaned against the wall, taking another forkful while he waited for Isaac to make words come out of his mouth.  

“I, uh.”  He glanced hesitantly at Allison.  “I… should get going.  I have to, uh, do that thing before school.”

“If it’s homework, you can just bring it back here after school and we’ll do it together,” she said.  She leaned over and kissed him, slow and lingering, and Stiles tried not to grin as he watched Isaac deteriorate into a pile of mush.  She held his eyes, smiling at him, and Isaac blushed and smiled back. 

When he stood and grabbed his backpack, however, Isaac’s smile slipped a little.  He walked past the kitchen, ducking out the door without another word.  

“What, your boyfriend doesn’t kiss you goodbye?” Stiles drawled through his eggs.  Scott shrugged, his eyes on the stove.

“Just give him a little time,” Allison said.  Stiles wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but Scott nodded.  For a second, Stiles caught a glimpse of the expression on his face.  He set the plate down on the table.  

“Hey.  You know I’m okay with this, right?”

“It’s fine,” Scott said, shaking his head.  “It’s… it’s not you.  You have bigger things to worry about.”

“Me?  What do I have to worry about? I just have to show up and — uh.”  His filter kicked in just before he said  _show up and get fucked,_  but judging by the way Scott flinched away, he heard it anyway.  Stiles attempted to redirect.  “So thanks for the eggs.  I think if he’s going to sleep like this, I’ll have time to fend for myself, uh.  Between.”

“Yeah,” Scott muttered.  He scraped the rest of the eggs into the bowl and set the pan in the sink.  “I think I’d better get going, too.”

Allison didn’t let Scott leave without a kiss, which seemed normal enough to Stiles, even after the way she’d just been kissing Isaac.  Stiles busied himself at the sink, running water into the pan and swishing it around aimlessly, while they had their moment.  

“Bye,” Allison called softly, waving out the door.  Her face was peaceful when she turned around.

“So what’s going on with that?” he pressed.  “I’m not that much of a cockblock between the two of them, am I?”

“No.”  She looked amused at the question.  

“I mean, they don’t seriously think I feel weird about —“

“Stiles,” she said, holding up her hand.  “It’s… the pheromones.  Being here, it’s throwing them into high gear, and they’re trying to stay out of your way.”

“Out of  _my_  way?”  Stiles wrinkled his brow.  “What do you mean?  They could make out all they wanted and I wouldn’t care.”

“Not with each other.”  Allison’s words came out slow and distinct.  She looked pointedly at Stiles, then at the bedroom door, which was still closed.

“Oh.   _Oh!”_   He nodded, equally slowly, feeling suddenly very stupid.  “I’m missing a lot of background here, but… just to be clear?  You’re saying they both want in on… this?”

“No,” she said heavily.  “They don’t.  I mean, obviously they  _do._   But I think Isaac’s remembering how it was with Derek during his rut, and he’s freaking out about Scott’s reaction to him responding to Danny’s pheromones, and  _Scott_  —“

She stopped, moving restlessly from the table to the counter, and finally leaning against the sink next to Stiles.  He dried his hands and slipped an arm around her.  

“Does this totally suck for you?” he asked.

Allison sighed.  “No, Stiles.  I’m not going to say it’s not a little weird, but I knew all of this when Scott and I agreed to join Danny’s pack.  I made an informed decision, and I’m okay with it.”

“Well… good, because I’m a little weirded out myself.”  He snuggled closer, appreciating the contact.  “Nobody told me about the multiple partners clause involved in being part of a werewolf pack.”

“It’s not required or anything,” she said.  He shook his head.

“No,  no, I don’t think Danny would force anyone.  But… it’s just more complicated for us, you and me.  Without the pheromones.”  Stiles met her eyes, and she nodded understanding.  

“And there’s the question of kids,” she added.  “This whole mating urge, what it means.  I don’t think any of us are really ready to think about that yet, but I’m thinking about it anyway.”

That surprised him.  “Really?”

“Well, humans and werewolves aren’t physically compatible.  That means if I chose to stay with Scott or Isaac or both of them, I couldn’t have kids with any of them.  Maybe we never would have had kids anyway, but… going into heat this early?  I can’t help but think it means something.  For our pack.”  

She sounded so rational, but for some reason, Stiles was finding it hard to swallow all of a sudden.  “What do you think it means?”

“It’s like Danny’s biology is saying, he needs to make little Dannies.”

He sagged a little against Allison, feeling her hold him up.  The image was equally compelling and terrifying.  

“Maybe,” he managed.  “But… we’re not dogs, or — or iguanas or anything.”

“ _We’re_  human,” she agreed. “We get to decide whether or not we listen to our biological imperative.”  She smiled at him. “Truthfully, I’m relieved I don’t have to be worried about birth control.  I want to go to college, to travel, to have some wild experiences before I breed.” 

“If you  _can_  breed.”  

Allison tossed her head.  “When I’m ready, I’ll figure something out.  I don’t have to get the genetic material from anybody in particular for it to be his child.”

“… _Whose_  child?” Stiles had to ask.  

“I don’t know, Stiles.  Whoever I’m with.”  She looked pensive.  “It’s more complicated now, but… in a way, I kind of love the idea of having lots of parents around to help with the kids.”

She kissed his cheek before leaving for school, but by the time she closed the door behind her, Stiles was already heading for the bedroom.  

Danny was still in the same position as he’d been when Stiles had left.  He could feel Danny’s mind, calm and murky with sleep, but when Stiles climbed back into bed, Danny stirred enough to wrap both arms around Stiles, pulling him tight against his chest.

 _Little Dannies,_  he thought, and indulged in about ten seconds of imagining that.  It left him feeling more uncertain and anxious than he’d anticipated.  He lay there for a long time before he was able to go back to sleep.

* * *

Danny’s fingers inside him woke him up, accompanied by the wordless drive of his need, washing up against Stiles’ consciousness with inexorable, impatient force. It was easier to comprehend his situation now that he’d had a little sleep, and Stiles opened himself gladly to Danny’s preparation.

 _Want you,_  he thought, hearing Danny’s soft growl in his ear with gathering anticipation.  He reached down to pull himself open as Danny knelt over him and entered him with one stroke.  Stiles resolved to send this particular silicone lube company a fruit basket when this week was over.

Danny seemed less mired in the confusion of rut than he had last night, but his thrusts were no less focused.  Whatever uncertainty Stiles had been feeling was temporarily obliterated by the grip of Danny’s hands on his arms holding him down, and the slap of Danny’s tight stomach against his balls.  The closer he got to coming, the more hungry he felt for the images filtering through from Danny’s mind to his.

 _You want to fuck me until I can’t move,_  he said, putting words to Danny’s thoughts.   _You want me open and ready every minute.  You want… god._ He choked on a whine.   _You want me to watch you fuck every one of them._

 _Mine,_  was the only concept that came through Danny’s mind.  He wasn’t even breathing hard, but Stiles was sweating and squirming underneath him.  Danny’s eyes glimmered red.   _All mine.  My pack._

He didn’t slow down, but he didn’t speed up either, and the last thirty seconds consisted of Stiles moaning, “oh fuck, oh fuck,” over and over again.  Stiles didn’t even bother to try to touch his cock as Danny’s firm thrusts hit his prostate with jarring intensity.  He swore he could  _feel_  Danny coming inside him.  

Stiles didn’t think about the fact that they weren’t alone in the apartment until he peeled himself out of the bed, staggering toward the bathroom, and found Jackson shouldering him aside with an irritated snarl.  He caught one glimpse of Jackson’s boxers tenting out in front of him before the bathroom door slammed in his face.

 _Everybody can smell you now,_  Stiles informed Danny from the doorway.   _You’re apparently not subtle._

Danny rolled over onto his back to look at him.  He wasn’t exactly smug, or satisfied, but he was definitely lucid.   _You’re one to talk.  I think the neighbors could hear you that time._

 _They’re at work!  I hope.  Anyway, it’s Jackson’s apartment._ Stiles returned to the bed, sitting on the edge and tracing Danny’s bare leg with one finger.   _Scott made us eggs.  You want me to warm them up?_

 _That would be fantastic._   He reached for Stiles, kissing him.   _You’re doing okay?_

 _I am,_  Stiles said.  He knew Danny could see everything he was thinking and feeling, but Danny was also too respectful to go peeling away the layers without asking.  _I have… a lot of thoughts, but not too many of them are useful right now.  Food, I think, and a shower._ He sighed into the pressure of Danny’s mouth on his neck.   _You really need to eat before we do this again._

Danny let Stiles edge back out of his embrace.  He was sober as he groped on the floor for his t-shirt.   _Part of me feels like I should be apologizing, but I’m having a hard time feeling sorry at all._

_Sorry for… what, exactly?  Being an Alpha?  The nonstop sex?  The orgy this is threatening to become?_

Danny winced.   _You know I don’t — that’s not my goal here._

_No, I didn’t think it was.  But you can’t tell me it might not happen._

He gave Stiles a fixed stare.   _I’m not going to let anything happen that any of us are going to later regret._

 _Did I say I was feeling regretful?_   Stiles grinned at him.   _Okay, maybe I’d rather not have Jackson in my bed, but I’d have said the same thing about Isaac a couple months ago.  A guy can always change his mind._

Danny closed his eyes, scrubbing his face with the palm of his hand.   _Jesus.  Are you trying to make me jealous?_

“Me?” Stiles said aloud, laughing.  “How can you not be kidding?  You’re the one who’s giving everybody boners.  Jackson’s in the bathroom jerking off as we speak.”

Stiles watched Danny’s nostrils flare.  He scowled.   _He’s not._

“What, can you smell  _him_  or something?”  Stiles paused.  “Oh, my god, you can, can’t you?”

 _I can smell everybody,_  he snapped, rising to his feet. He stalked toward Stiles, backing him up against the wall until he was inches away.   _Right now, I can smell_ everybody,  _and —_

Stiles tried not to scramble away as Danny leaned in and buried his nose in Stiles’ neck.  “Eating — Danny, you need to —  _fuck.”_

Danny’s blunt teeth dug into his skin, not hard enough to draw blood, but sure as hell hard enough to leave serious bruises.  His snarl rippled out, loud enough to fill the room.  

 _Everyone smells like a mate.  Everyone.  Scott, Isaac, Allison —  I want to do things to Lydia I’ve never once thought about before.  I feel like, if I don’t get to penetrate you —_ Danny punctuated the word  _penetrate_  with a thrust of his pelvis against Stiles’ hip; he let out a ragged whimper —  _I’m going to die._

 _You’re not going to die,_  Stiles said automatically.  Danny was already hard again, grinding against his thigh, and despite himself, he was responding, shuddering under Danny’s groping hands.   _But you do need to eat._

“I need,” he growled, low and harsh.  Then he stopped, breathing hard through his nose.  With a clear effort, he pushed off Stiles, turning away in frustration.  

 _Can’t you just —_  

 _Go._  His command was clipped and anguished.   _If you want me to respect your words, you need to be on the other side of that door._

Stiles considered what it had taken for Danny to say that, and headed toward the door — and met Jackson there, stripping off his shirt with a determined sigh.

“The things you do for your best friend,” he said, pushing past Stiles into the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” Stiles demanded.  

“Look, he’s always wanted me.  Don’t deny it.”  This last Jackson had addressed to Danny, who looked caught between rolling his eyes and grabbing him with both hands.  “Trust me, it’s not exactly the way I wanted to get into his pants, but whatever.  It’s not about me.  Or you, Stilinski.”  He was breathing Danny in, big deep inhalations, watching Danny while his hand rested idly on his thigh, his thumb rubbing his erection through his boxer briefs.  

Danny scarcely had any words to offer Stiles, spoken or not, but Stiles could see the images of what he planned to do to Jackson, and the amount of control he was currently exhibiting, this close to a beta werewolf.  Stiles thought about Allison’s words that morning:  _I made an informed decision, and I’m okay with it._   Was  _he_  okay with it?  And if he wasn’t, would either of them even listen to him at this point?

He dug in as close as his bond would allow, feeling the essence of Danny surrounding him.   _Ku’u lei,_  he said.   _This will help speed things up?  Get you done with this faster?_

 _Yes,_  Danny responded instantly.  He clenched his hands into fists, eyes glowing.  

_Just — tell me this isn’t going to screw things up for us._

Danny looked directly at Stiles.   _If you think it will,_ he said, each word an effort,  _I’ll tell him to go._

The halting statement released something within Stiles that he’d been holding tight, and he was able to take a full breath.   _No.  It’s okay.  I’m not really freaking out, really — it’s okay.  Words later._ He stepped in, kissing Danny hard, then retreating before he could change his mind.  He wanted to say something ridiculous to Jackson like  _If you hurt him, I’ll —_  but the sentiment ended there, because what could Stiles do to a werewolf that Danny couldn’t already do better himself? 

Stiles decided he wasn’t going to lose the opportunity to take a shower again.  He shut himself into the bathroom and turned the water on scalding, then stripped off his clothes and climbed in under the spray.  It was a shock to his chafed skin, but it felt good, too; good enough that he was able to focus on the heat and the humidity instead of what Danny was doing with Jackson in the bedroom.  

There was no way he could ignore it entirely, not without blocking Danny, and he’d made Danny promise he wouldn’t.  Stiles dried off slowly, taking each image as it came, integrating it into the experience.  Being disconnected wasn’t going to get them through this, he decided.  If there was pain, he could deal.  Danny hadn’t said it  _wasn’t_  going to hurt them, but Stiles wasn’t afraid of pain.

Okay, maybe he was, a little.  He leaned against the bathroom door, shuddering, as simultaneous snarls reached him from the bedroom.  His half-hard cock almost made him put his disgusting, come-stained shorts on yet again, but in the end he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.  He knotted the damp towel around his waist and wished he’d thought to grab Jackson’s robe from the back of the door.  

Lydia was at the dining table, wearing a smart pair of glasses, tracing swift lines in the leather-bound text she’d been reading the night before.  She looked up as he emerged, ignoring his near-undress and beckoning him over.  “Let me guess.  You need a distraction.”

“Please,” he begged, sliding into the chair beside her.  A second set of snarls came through the wall, louder this time, and he cringed.  “And maybe I could turn the television on?”

“Be my guest.  But, here, this might be dry enough to take the edge off.”  She tapped the book, and read: “The stimulation of the vagina triggers a release of the leutinizing hormone, the hormone secreted from the pituitary gland that causes ovulation. However, scientists note that the release of this hormone can also be affected by the environment, such as temperature and the availability of food. So, during a drought or a very snowy winter where food is scarce, a female, though mounted by the Alpha male, may not secrete the hormone.  Stress may also play a factor.”  

He stared at the text.  “Where the hell did you get a book about how to knock up a werewolf?”  

“I told you, Mr. Argent’s library.”  She tipped her head to one side.  “I just thought you would want to hear that.”

He couldn’t fathom Lydia’s reasons.  “Why?”

“Because,” she said impatiently, “it means the chances are pretty good that Erica  _wasn’t_  pregnant when Derek went into rut.”

“Oh.”  He rose to his feet suddenly as another wave of images hit.  “I’m — the TV…”

Lydia watched him impassively as he turned the channel to a stupid 80s rerun and increased the volume until the laugh track was blaring, then stumbled back to the table.  “You can tell what he’s doing?”

Stiles nodded, not trusting his voice.  He tried to be subtle about tucking his cock between his legs as he sat back down, squirming a little under Lydia’s scrutiny.  She nodded back, looking expectant, and he raised an eyebrow at her.  “You, uh… want me to tell you?”

“Not unless you want to.  It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard graphic details about Jackson getting nailed by another guy.  But I meant  _you._   Are you dealing?  What about this is bothering you?”

He tried to give this question a serious answer.  Lydia might not appreciate his sense of humor.  “I don’t think it’s really that he’s doing this with another guy.  I’m not exactly jealous.”

“Okay,” she said.  “So what is it?”

“It’s…”  He laughed unhappily.  “I’m feeling… left out.  Because I’m not a werewolf, and I can’t really get the effect of these pheromones.”

She nodded slowly.  “You  _want_  to be at the whim of your biology?”

He shrugged.  “I didn’t say it was rational.”

“Can’t you just, you know, tune into whatever he’s experiencing and pick it up that way?”

“I can.  I do.”  Stiles paused, trying to breathe evenly.  “God.”

“He’s done already?”  Lydia sniffed.  “Embarrassing.”

“There’ll be a second round,” he croaked.  “I can already feel it.  No, it’s not that I can’t feel what he’s feeling.  It’s that I can’t feel it back.  Which probably sounds like the stupidest thing, because I already have this crazy connection with him; should I begrudge anybody else that?  No.”

“Mmmm.”  She frowned at him.  “You really want him to make this about you?  Because I’ve got a way, but you might not like it so much.”

He shook his head.  “No,” he repeated.  “I don’t.  It’s not about me.”

“It is as much as it is about any of us, Stiles.  If what Derek says is anywhere close to right, we’re going to end up closer, as a pack.”  She held out her arms.  “So stop being such a baby and accept it.”

Stiles eyed her arms doubtfully, staying where he was.  “Accept what?”

Her arms remained open.  “That we’re joining  _your_  pack as much as Danny’s.  That  _you’re_  a reason for us to want to.”

When nothing else had, that statement made him cry.  Stiles sat, feeling the impact of it, the tears beginning their trail down his cheeks.  “I’m —“

“Oh, for god’s sake, Stiles,” she snapped, “it’s not like I’ve never hugged a guy with an erection before.  Would you get over here?”

He finally knelt in front of her chair, letting her draw him in close, wrapping him up.  She did seem to be completely oblivious to his physical response, which might have depressed him on any other day, but at the moment it was a profound relief.  

“You really want to be in  _my_  pack?” he mumbled.

She stroked his hair placidly.  “Yeah, you dork.  I do.”

He stayed there throughout round two of Danny and Jackson’s combative coupling, only quivering slightly when he finally felt Danny collapse.  Lydia was completely calm.  She gave him an encouraging smile. 

“I’ll… warm up his eggs,” he said, and she nodded.

Jackson was wearing his own robe when they emerged, and Danny looked a good deal calmer than he had when Stiles had left.  It smelled like ordinary sex to Stiles, nothing special, but he wasn’t going to tell them to shower.  He brought the bowl of eggs over to Danny and put it in his hands, along with a fork.

“I’ll freak out a lot less if I know you’re not going to pass out from low blood sugar,” he said.

Danny ate the eggs, standing as close as he could to Stiles without actually picking him up in his arms.   _I don’t think werewolves do that, ku’u lei._

“What, have blood sugar issues?  No diabetic werewolves?”

“One sided conversation’s weird, guys,” Lydia said.  Danny coughed.  

“Sorry,” he told her.  “I’ve been taught not to talk with my mouth full.”

She laughed aloud.  “I imagine you’ve also been taught not to have sex with all your boyfriend’s best friends?”

“Uh.”  Danny actually blushed, but Lydia was already grinning at Stiles.  He grinned back at her.  

“I think we’re okay,” he found himself saying.  “I think — if you would just eat those fucking eggs already — it’s really going to be all right.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter was intense, and I feel a little bad for leaving it like that. If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, I can’t promise to know for sure, but it obviously involves lots of complicated dealing with multiple partners. I’m not ruling anybody out, either, so if you have particular pairings you hate, you might want to read elsewhere. I’m cheering for Danny and Stiles just like the rest of you, but in my happy little poly world, winning seldom looks like monogamy. In any case, I’m enjoying writing this very much… and on my drive tonight I got plotbunnies for a prequel to Only Held By Gravity, from Danny’s point of view, as well as the Scott/Allison/Isaac backstory. No sex in this chapter, but lots of talking about sex! 
> 
> Enjoy — amy

Stiles stayed close to Lydia, holding tight to her hand, until Danny and Jackson were done foraging for food.  He stole glances at Danny every now and then, but he didn’t really need confirmation of what his bond told him about how his soulmate was doing.  Danny still felt clouded, but not by a shield, and beneath it Stiles could still sense the quality of their connection.  

 _Still there,_  he thought, and it wasn’t even a question.  Danny didn’t smile, but Stiles heard him whisper  _no kau a kau_  in response.

Lydia waited until Stiles let go of her hand to move toward Jackson, not engaging him directly, but sitting beside him while he ate, letting him share her space.  Stiles tried to do the same with Danny, but he couldn’t bring himself to close that gap quite so readily, not without having a chance to talk first.  Instead, he sat at the end of the table, with Jackson and Danny on either side, feeling about as tense as he figured he should feel.

“So that was awkward,” he declared, after they’d eaten most of what was on their plates.  Jackson was avoiding his gaze, doing a bad job at appearing bored, but Danny sighed.

“I think I can’t deny there was something important about doing that with another werewolf.”

“Hey, Stilinski,” Jackson drawled, making a dismissive gesture with his hand.  “It was just sex. Don’t get all bent out of shape about it.”

All three of them responded at the same time.  Lydia snapped, “That is wrong on so many levels I can’t even  _begin_  to —“ while Danny let out an outraged, “If  _that_  were the case, don’t you think we would have done this years —“

But Stiles rose up halfway out of his chair, leaning in toward Jackson, and tapped him none too gently on the chest, until he was facing Stiles directly.

“We’re not going to get into this now,” Stiles said.  “But you’re not going to play this fucking game with us.  You’re only here because Danny needs something, and you want to give it to him.  You’re going to be  _grateful_ for that.  You understand?”

Jackson didn’t look exactly scared, but his bravado was significantly diminished.  “I’m just saying you don’t have to make such a big —“  

“Yes,” Lydia said crisply.  She slid one hand into Jackson’s and gave it a firm shake.  “ _Yes,_  he does.  We all do.”

“It wasn’t like that with Derek,” he insisted.

Stiles managed to bury his reaction to this news, but Lydia didn’t look surprised.  At least now he knew who she’d been talking about when she’d mentioned him having sex with other guys.

“It’s not like that here,” she said.  “This isn’t a werewolf thing.  This is a werewolf  _and human_  thing.  This is a  _big deal.”_

Jackson’s gaze shifted to Danny’s, then to Lydia’s, before looking back at Stiles.   _Now_  he looked scared.  

“Fuck this,” he muttered, pushing his chair back abruptly.  He disentangled his hand from Lydia’s, and was out the door before any of them could say anything. 

Lydia sighed, her expression sour.  “Just what we need:  _another_  emotional crisis.”

“It would have been worse to let him go ahead and pretend it wasn’t anything,” Stiles said.  

She stood up as well, brushing invisible dust off her red leather skirt.  “Well, I’d better go after him.  If he thinks we’re ignoring him, he’ll pout all evening.”  She leaned over and kissed Stiles on the cheek, and, after a moment, did the same to Danny.  “Don’t worry.  I can handle Jackson.”

Now that Jackson was out of the room, Danny looked exhausted.  “I think I should sleep,” he said, his words slurring a little.

“Yeah,” Stiles agreed.  He surveyed the carnage on the table.  “I’ll — clean up here.  And I should probably call my dad pretty soon.  I’ve been afraid to look at my phone.”

Danny nodded, walking slowly toward the bedroom.  Stiles followed him.  The scent of sex was thicker now; they were going to need to open a window at some point.   _Although that would probably draw every last omega within a hundred miles._

 _I’m sorry, ku’u lei,_  Danny said.  He’d already collapsed on the rumpled bed.  Stiles bit his lip, keeping his distance.

 _I know,_  he told him.   _It’s going to be okay._   

It took Danny about ten seconds to slip back into unconsciousness.  Stiles hovered there for a little while, considering crawling into the bed with him, but the awareness that he was the only other one in the apartment kept him out.  Danny had made him promise there’d be another werewolf on duty the whole time they were together in the bedroom, and Stiles wasn’t going to break that promise, no matter how certain he was that Danny wouldn’t really hurt him.  

Instead, he dug through Jackson’s drawers and found a clean shirt and a pair of shorts.  The towel around his waist really wasn’t going to cut it.  Then he bundled up all the clothes littering the floor of the bedroom, shoved them into the laundry bag he found in Jackson’s closet, and set it in the hallway.  He’d figure out where the laundry room was eventually.  

The kitchen was almost clean by the time Allison and Isaac showed up.  They both appeared surprised to see him answer the door.

“It’s not like Danny’s got me cuffed to his bed,” he said, but he couldn’t muster enough energy to make it into a very good joke, and the way Allison looked at him made him feel more like crying. 

“Scott’s got a shift at the vet after school,” she said, “but he’ll be here after dinner.  You want to go sleep for a while?  Where’s Jackson?”

“He took off.”  Stiles was considering whether or not to say anything when he caught the tense set of Isaac’s jaw, and the way his nostrils were flaring.  “You can tell, can’t you?”

Isaac froze.  “Tell what?”

“You’re a crappy liar.  You can smell him.  The two of them.”

“The two of — Stiles?”  Allison stared at him.  “Danny and  _Jackson?”_

“It was a thing,” he said, feeling suddenly out of words.  “He needed it.  I’m not freaking out.”

She hesitated, then took Stiles’ hand and led him toward the couch.  Isaac followed without a word, and when Allison sat down and pulled Stiles into a hug, he sat down on Stiles’ other side, flanking him closely.  The warmth and contact on both sides decreased Stiles’ tension by about a thousand percent, and he let himself sit there without saying anything for a few minutes.  It didn’t hurt that Allison was doing this little hair-stroking thing, or that Isaac’s arm was draped casually around him to hold Allison’s hand.

“Isaac,” Allison murmured eventually, “maybe you could tell Stiles about how it was with you and Derek, when he was going through his rut.”

“Um — sure?  I could do that, if you think it would help.”  He rested his cheek on Stiles’ shoulder, like it was nothing.  Stiles wondered if Isaac understood just how  _good_  it felt to be held that way, or if he was doing this for Allison, or if it was something else entirely.  “It was pretty soon after he gave me the bite, so I was still figuring everything out.  But after the way things were with my dad, it was just… so much better, to be away from that?  So  _everything_  was better.  And we — Erica and me — we didn’t even question it.  Whatever Derek needed, that was easy.”  Stiles felt him shrug.  “It was pretty awesome, actually.”

“What about Boyd?” Stiles asked.  Isaac didn’t tense up, but Allison squeezed Isaac’s hand anyway.  

“Boyd had never thought about guys before, but I don’t think it was any different for him.  All of us felt that way.  It wasn’t like we were competing for his attention.  He still wanted to be there, to give Derek anything he needed.”

Stiles looked at the pale hairs on Isaac’s arm.  “And you had?”

“What?” 

“You’d… thought about guys.”  

Isaac shifted on the couch, but as far as Stiles could tell, it wasn’t to get further away from him.  “Well, sure.  Yeah.  I thought about lots of guys.  And when Derek… well, I never thought about saying no to him.  It wasn’t even a question.”  

“But you’re not in his pack anymore.”  

“No.  It’s not the same now.  He’s still Derek, but there’s… something missing.”  Isaac didn’t sound upset about this, just a little thoughtful.  Stiles relaxed a little more as Allison leaned over to kiss Isaac’s temple.  Asking the next question didn’t feel scary when he was being held by both of them like that.

“So what about with Danny?  The pheromones, is it the same as it was with Derek?”  

Stiles felt more than heard Isaac’s slow sigh.  “I think so.  I just wasn’t sure, since he…” 

Isaac didn’t finish his sentence.  Stiles was trying to figure out if he should prompt him when Allison said quietly, “He’s scared Danny doesn’t really want him in his pack.”  

That made Stiles sit back to face them both.  “What?”  

Isaac’s cheeks were pink.  “Allison…”

“No, you should tell him,” she urged.  “He needs to understand.”

Stiles waited while Isaac collected himself, watching Allison supporting him.  It fortified him, the way she was giving Isaac strength just by being present, and giving him space to take his time.  When Isaac spoke, it was with obvious effort.

“I knew Derek needed me.  He  _made_  me.  But why would Danny need me when he has you and Scott and Allison?  I’m just… extra.”  

Stiles looked at Allison helplessly, but she wasn’t offering him any help.  “You’re fixing his grandfather’s car.” Isaac snorted, and Allison grinned a little.  Stiles pressed on.  “You’re in love with Allison and Scott.”  Now Isaac was blushing full-on red.  “Come on, don’t deny it, I heard the way you were talking to him on the phone.  It’s awesome.”

Isaac looked startled.  “Yeah?  You think it’s awesome that I — how I feel about Scott?”

“Yeah!” Stiles said with enthusiasm.  “Yeah, I do.  It’s awesome because it’s obvious the two of you are completely nuts about each other, you and Allison.  And Scott… he really wants it too.  He’s not just settling.”  Saying the words felt good, like he was sorting them out inside himself as he spoke.  “I don’t really know what he feels, I guess; Scott’s kind of hard to read sometimes, but I think —“

“No, it’s okay,” Isaac said, smiling, clearly pleased.  “He’s into it.  I’m not worried about that.  I’m relieved, though, to hear you say it’s okay with  _you.”_

“Well, yeah.”  Stiles paused a moment, then leaned over and hugged Isaac, who startled again before hugging him back.  “Yeah.  It’s really okay.  That’s what I’m saying.  We want you here, both of us — Danny too, you can be sure about that.”

Isaac glanced at the bedroom and inhaled at the mention of Danny’s name, as though the thought of him and the scent of him were linked.  “And you’re sure  _that_  part is okay with you?”

Stiles kept his smile as light as he could.  “You mean the wild werewolf orgy we’re having in Jackson’s apartment?  I don’t feel at all weird about you being here for that.”

As Stiles had hoped, Isaac laughed.  “It’s a bigger deal than that, Stiles.”

“No, I know.  That’s why Jackson left.  He couldn’t handle the idea that it was a bigger deal than just sex.”  He scratched his head, shrugging.   “I’m not exactly sure what it  _is,_  but…”

“It’s just what it is,” Allison said.  She turned to Stiles, still holding Isaac’s hand.  “I thought, if you wouldn’t feel too weird about it, that I should be there.  With Isaac, when he… takes his turn.  If that wouldn’t —“

“No,” Stiles interrupted.  “It wouldn’t be too weird.  You’re part of the pack, too.”  

She nodded soberly.  “Okay.  Thank you.  And… Scott?”  

“What about Scott?”  

“Would you be willing to… be there, with Danny and Scott?”  

Stiles felt his heart stutter, then resume, beating double-time.  “Oh.”  He stole a glance at Isaac, but Isaac was completely sanguine.  “You think he’d, um, tolerate that?”  

Isaac and Allison looked at one another.  She nodded.  “I don’t think he’d ever ask, but he wants you there.”  

He tried to keep his breathing slow.  “Okay.  Um… Jesus.  This is the thing, Allison.  This is the big, big thing about what you’re saying.  If what Isaac said is true, that it wasn’t weird during and it’s not weird afterwards because of pheromones, but  _I_  don’t experience those pheromones, and  _Scott_  doesn’t experience them, then…”  

“You think it’s going to be weird afterward for you and Scott.”

“Yeah,” Stiles sighed.  “I think it might be.  And I —“  He swallowed, wishing they were still hugging him, but it would have felt really awkward to ask for that, so he just pushed through the fear and said the truth.  “I want to.  And okay, maybe I think Scott might kind of want to, too, but I still think… it would be, like, me taking advantage of the situation.”  

Isaac was looking at him intently.  “So you can watch Scott and Danny having sex.”  

He cringed.  “God.”  

Allison was shaking her head.  “I’m not going to make you talk to him, Stiles, but you guys will have to figure that out eventually.”  

“No, we don’t have to,” Stiles said quickly.  “We never have to.   _That_  goes in the box of things we never have to talk about.”  

“Not anymore,” she replied, touching his hand.  She looked sympathetic.  “Maybe before this happened, but now you’re going to have to.”

“Stiles, he’d totally be into it,” Isaac began, but Allison shook her head once, and he subsided.  

Suddenly Stiles felt the distance between himself and Danny, yawning like a gulf.  He struggled to his feet.  “I’m going to —“ he said, indicating the bedroom.  Allison waved him on, but before Stiles could get very far, Isaac reached out and clutched his hand.

“Thank you,” he said.  “This helped a lot.”

“Yeah.  Me, too.”  Stiles looked at his grateful face, and wondered if he’d ever know just how he deserved to see that expression from Isaac Lahey.  He added, “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Isaac looked overwhelmed, but he nodded.  “I’m really glad I am too.”

It was a relief to strip off his clothes and insinuate himself between the covers, nestling against Danny’s heated skin.  Danny made restless noises when Stiles touched him, but his mind was still heavy and muffled with sleep.  It took him several minutes to rouse enough to respond to Stiles’ thoughts.

 _You’re different,_  Danny said.   _Who did you talk to?_

 _Allison and Isaac.  They were… yeah.  I’m different._   He breathed in Danny’s very ordinary scent, holding him tight in both arms.

_I feel like I have no right to ask you to tell me about what they said._

_I can try to tell you.  It’s not so much what they said as what I realized._

_And what did you realize?_

Stiles could feel Danny’s awareness of him, his insatiable desire, waking up.  He was going to have to make this short.   _My mom used to say I was a tactile person.  Touching, being touched, it helps me calm down.  Allison and Isaac helped me get through the way I was feeling._

Danny was still, listening carefully.   _Tell me how you were feeling._

He took a long breath.   _Scared.  Jealous.  Wondering about stupid things I knew weren’t true._

 _Like what?_ He stroked Stiles’ arm.  

 _Like… we were Jack and Diane?  Like, maybe this thing we had was just idealistic and stupid and I was going to find out it wasn’t everything I thought it was after all._  

_Ku’u lei._

_I know, I know!  I know that’s not true.  And still… this is a lot to lose._

_You’re not losing anything,_  Danny told him _._

 _“_ You say that,” Stiles whispered, holding on to him with both arms.  “You  _say_  that.  But how do you know?”  

 _Because I’m the Alpha._  

Stiles felt the words hit him with the force of an eiderdown quilt.  He closed his eyes.  “That’s not fucking fair.  You can’t play that card every time you want me to listen to you, because you know it works.”  

 _I’m not playing anything.  I’m just telling you the truth.  You don’t think I’m scared?_   

“Not like I am.”

Danny rolled over under the covers to face him, taking Stiles’ hips in his hands to pull him close.   _You’re amazing.  I have no idea how you handle things the way you do._   

“Handle things how?”  

 _Everything.  The whole world could change around you, and you’d just be there, ready to take it on, saying_ what’s next?  Danny leaned in to kiss Stiles’ neck, heating his skin.   _I’ve been amazed at you for my whole life, Stiles, and this experience of being your Alpha isn’t changing it one little bit._  He brought up one hand to rest briefly on Stiles’ cheek.   _You’re my pair.  You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I close my eyes at night._   

It was the most words he’d heard from Danny in almost twenty-four hours, and Stiles drank them in with the same ecstasy he’d experienced when he’d eaten Scott’s scrambled eggs.  He leaned into Danny, like his body was begging for more.

 _Whatever crazy biochemical thing is happening here with this wolf rut,_  Danny said, kissing him, _I’d fight it to my last breath if I thought you needed me to do that._   

Stiles sighed.  “This soulmate stuff?  That’s nothing but biochemistry too, you know.”  

 _That might have been true if we were just meeting one another for the first time, Stiles, but we’re not.  I’m saying this connection, what you and I have, that trumps whatever my biology is telling me I should be doing with the wolves in my pack.  I’m still in control enough to decide that._   

“Yeah, well.”  He leaned up, facing Danny.  “I’m not telling you you don’t get to have this.”  

_I know._

“No, listen to me,” he insisted.  “I’m telling you, I know it’s not a game, this thing we’re doing here.  You’re not fucking around on me, and we’re not doing some hot threesome for the hell of it.  This is about our future.   _Our_  pack.”  

Danny blinked, suddenly shaken out of his placid confidence.   _Stiles._

“Yeah.”  Stiles laughed breathlessly.  He kept his eyes on Danny’s.  “I knew, from day one, that what we had was going to be for the long term.  I don’t see any reason not to think about this that way either.  Maybe for most Alphas, their rut ends up being them and their pack, one pair at a time.  But this isn’t like that.”  He put a hand on Danny’s chest, over his heart.  “This is  _you and me,_ and everybody else.  You’re building our pack here, this week.  And I want to be there for it.”

He could feel Danny splintering under his hand.   _Stiles, I —_   

Stiles wasn’t going to let Danny try to talk him out of it.  “You’re not leaving me out in an effort to try to spare my feelings.  What Derek said, about this being for pack bonding?  I think he was right.  So I want in.  I’m not your beta.  I’m your  _partner.”_

Danny kissed him fiercely.  “Amazing,” he muttered.  

Stiles smiled against his lips.   _Okay, maybe it’s also a little bit because it’s hot._   

 _I never said you couldn’t think it was._ In the corner of Stiles’ mind, Danny caught the thread of his conversation with Isaac about Scott, and immediately kissed him all over again.   _Yeah.  He can think it’s hot too._

Stiles suppressed a moan, burying his face into Danny’s neck.   _I think I might need lessons from you about how to deal with long-suppressed feelings._

That made Danny laugh out loud.   _I never suppressed them, ku’u lei.  I was loving you that whole time._

 _Loving me._   He wasn’t going to say the words aloud, but somehow it felt reasonably safe to say them to Danny, here, in the privacy of their own minds.   _I guess I’ve… loved Scott as long as you’ve loved me._   

_I imagine he’s loved you just as long._

Stiles squirmed.   _Yeah, but it was never going to be something we were going to_ talk _about, much less do anything about.  I’m still not sure it’s a good idea._

 _But?_ Danny prodded.

_But Allison said I’m going to have to._

He chuckled.   _You know I’m not going to tell you that._

_Thank you.  I’d prefer to keep it that way._

Stiles hadn’t expected to have this kind of opportunity to talk with Danny, not in the midst of his tumultuous rut.  The calm moment felt like a gift.  He snuggled in close.

 _I’m so lucky,_ he whispered.

 _Yeah?  Even with all this weird stuff happening?  All these people interfering with our regular ordinary life?_   

Stiles was already snorting with laughter before Danny even finished his sentence.   _I think I abandoned regular and ordinary back in the middle of sophomore year.  Do you suppose we could shoot for colorful and unique?_

 _Definitely,_  Danny agreed, kissing the top of his head.   _I think those are both well within our reach._


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been focusing on other projects, but this story has stayed with me, and I have every intention of finishing it. 
> 
> Consent gets murky when you're at the whim of your biology, so mild warnings for that, but nothing serious. Likewise, pack feels are coming up against Stiles' personal relationships. A little hurt/comfort with Isaac, some sweet dialogue with both the Sheriff and Danny's Tutu, and a complicated conversation with Scott. 
> 
> More to come soon. 
> 
> -amy

 

Stiles dozed on and off throughout the rest of the afternoon. When he woke up, Danny was there beside him, but he was dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. He was restlessly knotting the hem of the sheet in his hand, watching Stiles intently while he stretched.

"Did you go out?" Stiles murmured.

_I went running._

He waited for Danny to say more, but the room was silent. Stiles could hear the muffled conversation coming from the television in the other room. He rolled into Danny's questing hand, pulling it to his chest, like he was cradling a little baby bird.

"Is there — do you need anything?"

 _More of the same,_  Danny said. He sounded a little apologetic, but mostly anticipatory.

"It's okay," Stiles said quickly. "I'm doing fine. You don't have to ask."

Danny took a quick breath through his mouth, letting his hand caress the skin of Stiles' bare shoulder.  _It's getting stronger. I can feel it coming, another day like the last one._

Stiles nodded. He pulled the sheet out of Danny's hand and tugged it down, helping Danny out of his clothes, which were smelling more ripe than he himself was.  _It's okay. We did fine. And maybe having the rest of the pack around would be good, if you're going to…?_ He still wasn't sure how to describe it. Nothing seemed either serious enough or simple enough.  _If you need any of us,_  he said finally.

 _Need you._  The way Danny snuffled in his neck, tickling him with his two-day growth of facial hair, it made him want to giggle, but he resisted that impulse.  _Always need you._

Stiles could feel Danny descending back into that place where words were meaningless, but he was pretty sure Danny was including everyone in that  _you._  It didn't feel bad, not even when the  _you_  included Jackson. Being this close to Danny, buried in his urges and desires, it almost felt like he was feeling them himself.

 _You're so proud of your pack,_  he said to Danny. Danny licked the skin of his ear, humming approval.

 _Mine,_  Danny agreed. He inhaled, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were a deep wine color. He coated the length of two fingers with Jackson's amazing silicone lube. Even as Danny's actions held clear, specific intent, the images in his thoughts were far more global. Stiles caught glimpses of landscapes and machines and something he wasn't even sure what it was - maybe a spacecraft?

 _We're strong,_  he interpreted. _Smart. Beautiful._  It made him smile.  _You really see us that way?_

 _My pack._  That was very clear, indignant, as though he wanted to say  _of course you're awesome, and fuck you for thinking otherwise._

He put one hand on Stiles and pressed him to the bed, holding him still while he slid into him. Stiles was only a little sore, but it still felt good. So far, Danny was still being careful. Maybe he always would be.

That was the thing that made Stiles cry through the rest of their coupling: the idea of  _always._  Danny said  _no kau a kau._  Forever and ever. Stiles had barely had a chance to accept the truth of that over the past five months, their pairbond — and now they had  _this._  They would do  _this_  again, and again, every couple years, for the rest of their lives.  _Forever and ever._

Danny fell asleep almost immediately afterwards, but Stiles was done sleeping. He stumbled out of bed and rifled through the meager pile of freshly laundered clothing in the basket by the door. Underwear and shirt and shorts was enough.

He paused in the hallway outside the bedroom door, trying to get himself under control, but when Isaac came around the corner, Stiles was still crying. Isaac stopped where he was, looking abashed.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, retreating, but Stiles shook his head, beckoning him closer. Isaac paused, then came forward again. "Are you okay? Do you want me to get somebody?"

"You," said Stiles. "Just… c'mere."

Isaac stood there and let him hug him for a few moments, but as Stiles suspected, he had good instincts. Eventually he got his own arms into the game, and then the rest of him, until he was holding Stiles tightly, murmuring words of comfort. Stiles tried to remain quiet, but there was almost no point in bothering, not in an apartment of this size.

"Stiles?" Lydia asked softly from behind Isaac. She was giving them space, but Stiles still felt embarrassed to have her see him like that.

"In a minute," he mumbled, and Lydia disappeared.

It was funny that blubbering all over Isaac's shoulder didn't make him feel embarrassed. Eventually he stood back, wiping his face. "I'm okay."

"You want to talk about it?" Isaac asked. He was so earnest and shy that Stiles smiled.

"Yeah, maybe? Let's get out of the hallway before everybody starts taking bets on my sanity. I need to eat something."

"Allison picked up pizza. It's a little cold now, but you could put it in the oven."

"Cold pizza is fine," he said.

Of course everybody was there, even Jackson, and they were all doing their determined best to not look at him as he went into the kitchen and opened the pizza box. He took a piece and chewed it, surveying the room.

"He didn't hurt me, if that's what you're wondering," he said loudly. "It's not the sex thing. I'm freaking out about the pairbond. Which, I get it, nobody can help me deal with that but Danny, and he's passed out on the bed. So I get pizza, and… I'll be okay. In case you care."

"I think we've established we all care, Stiles," said Allison soberly. Stiles looked away. "We're your pack, okay?"

He blinked hard. "You're going to make me fucking cry again."

"Yeah, I think you get to do that if you have to," said Scott. "We could all get out of here and let you do it alone, or you can deal with us being here."

"I think it might be time for option C." Stiles pressed his foot on the pedal of the trash can and tossed the crust inside. "My dad would probably appreciate knowing I'm alive. And Danny's clothes, they seriously reek. If somebody else would do his laundry, I can go by his house and pick up clean ones for him. Okay if I go do those things while he sleeps off his sex hangover?"

Lydia had already gone back to reading the big leather book, and Jackson was ignoring him, but Scott and Allison and Isaac all looked at one another uneasily. Scott cleared his throat.

"What if he wakes up?" he asked. "What do you think we — I mean he —"

"Dude, he's the Alpha," said Stiles wearily. "I think he gets to pick who goes next. Whatever he wants goes. It's fine, seriously. Do I need to go around to each of you and kiss you to make you believe me?" He made a grand gesture with both hands. "Pack. We're it."

"Stiles," said Allison, but Scott touched her arm as Stiles grabbed his keys from the counter. He followed Stiles to the door.

"I guess you won't need us to call you when he wakes up, but you'll call us, right? If you need anything."

Scott was just looking at him, not too worried, but all Stiles could think about was Isaac, sitting on the couch with him and Allison, saying  _Stiles, he'd totally be into it._  He didn't know how to close his mind's eye to things like that. They just were there, making him squirm.

"I'll let you know," said Stiles. He reached over and gave Scott's shoulder an awkward pat. "Don't worry about me. It'll be okay."

He meant it, or at least he was pretty sure he did. Being outside made him feel immediately better. There wasn't a lot of sun left in the day, but the way it was reflecting off the trees, the wind on his skin, it cut his tension by at least half. He took a series of deep breaths, and unsnapped the window in the Jeep to let the air move through as he drove. Then he called his dad's cell phone.

He picked up right away. Stiles could hear the noise of the station, and the way it quieted as soon as his dad closed the door to his office.

"Stiles," he said. "Jeez. I wasn't sure if I'd hear from you, after what Melissa said, but… thanks for calling."

"What did she tell you?" Stiles asked curiously.

His dad paused. "Uh… that you and Danny were, uh… that you wouldn't be at school for a couple days? I don't know how much detail you want to go into."

"That's probably best," he agreed. Even starting the Jeep's ignition felt good. "I'm doing fine. Danny's fine too. We're staying at Jackson's apartment on Forest. Isaac and Scott and Allison and Lydia are… being a lot of help. I'm going to come by the house and pick up some things for me and Danny."

"Oh, hey. That's great. I'm — that's great." His dad sounded so relieved, Stiles felt guilty, considering he'd barely given him one thought over the past two days.

"You want me to stop at the station? A little proof I'm — you know, still me?"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm gonna have to get used to you being away pretty soon, anyway. You're going to graduate in a month and a half."

He paused with his hand on the gear shift. "It's not like I'm going to disappear after high school, dad. You know that, right?"

"Well, no, but I know where you're applying. It's a good hour and a half between here and Silicon Valley." His dad made a dismissive noise. "Whatever. We don't need to talk about that now. You want me to make dinner tonight? I'm off in an hour."

He bit his lip, testing his bond with the still-sleeping Danny. "I'm… not sure if I can stay out that long. But thanks. I'll be okay. Allison got pizza."

"You've got some good friends there, Stiles."

"I know," he said. "They're… my pack."

"A pack of  _something,_  that's for sure. Thanks for calling, buddy."

Maybe his dad didn't really understand about pack. He wasn't sure he did, himself. But it was starting to become more clear, in the process of dealing with Danny's Alpha rut, just how important they really were. They'd had four during the confrontation with Ethan and Aidan. Now they had seven, three humans and four wolves.

 _I think the next time there's an attack,_  he texted to Scott at the next light,  _this pack is going to be in pretty good shape to deal with it._

Scott responded,  _I think you're right._

_All quiet there?_

_Think so. Me and Isaac are out for a walk._

Stiles wondered what that was a euphemism for. He wasn't going to spend too much time wondering about it. Maybe they'd actually gone out for a walk, but he couldn't imagine them doing it.

 _You think we could talk when I get back?_  he typed slowly. He almost deleted it, but then he pressed send before he could second-guess himself.

_Sure, of course. You all right?_

_Yeah. I talked to my dad. He's fine._ He was starting to feel like Han Solo:  _We're all fine here. How are you?_

He got one more text from Scott as he was pulling into Danny's driveway.  _Chinese for dinner OK?_

 _Two orders of dumplings and mu shu pork,_  he said.

_Extra pancakes, I know._

It made him unreasonably sappy to read that, but he wasn't about to send him stupid emoticons or anything. If Stiles had the guts to ask Scott the questions he wanted to ask, he could tell him in person how much he appreciated that Scott knew what kind of Chinese food he liked.

Tutu gave him a shining, gap-toothed smile as she met him at the front door, and hugged him hard. "Stiles! We've missed you. Are you and Danny getting a lot of work done?"

"Work?" he asked.

"On your study vacation?"

Her expression was serene, and Stiles couldn't tell from her voice whether or not she knew that excuse was bullshit. "We're getting things done," he said. "Danny, uh, asked me to come over to get some clean clothes."

"Come in, come in. Let me make you some tea."

Stiles knew Tutu knew he didn't like tea, but it also probably meant she would give him homemade cookies. Regardless, Tutu was worth a little extra politeness. Out of all the adults in Danny's life, she was the closest they had to a champion. His mother was on their side, but she'd never stand up to Danny's father. Tutu was fearless — and she was pairbonded, too.

He thought about that while she made the tea. It was hard not to have Danny awake to consult before making decisions about what to tell or not tell Tutu, but by the time she put the blue cup in front of him, he'd gone ahead and made his own decision anyway.

"Did you visit George yet this week?" he asked.

She shook her head. "We decided not to go without Danny. But it's too bad, really, because it's our anniversary on Thursday."

Stiles grinned. "Hey, really? How many years have you guys been married?"

"This will be forty-seven. I do wish we would have made it to fifty, but that's not going to happen." She added some sugar to his cup and handed him a spoon.

"I guess you never know," said Stiles.

Tutu gave him a curious look. "You do know, though. If you look far enough ahead in your  _mua, ka wa mahope,_  you can see the length of time remaining for you and your  _uhane hoa._ "

"I don't think I know how to do that." He couldn't depend on Danny to translate Hawaiian words for him when he was asleep. Stiles knew a few, but he hadn't heard that one before. "Look far enough ahead in our what?"

"I suppose you could call it your timeline together. The sum of your lives, from the moment you meet until the first of you dies." Tutu said it matter-of-factly. "I'm sure you've caught glimpses of it, when you follow Danny's progress in your thoughts?"

Stiles nodded. "I never really tested it too far forward, though. Or backwards, for that matter. Does that mean I could look back and see what Danny was like in fifth grade?"

She laughed. "I guess you could." Her eyes twinkled. "You know, I remember the day he came to me and told me about you. He was so worried about what we'd say. About you being a boy — that was a big deal for his father. But his mother and I, we were just so proud that he found you, and so young. It's a big relief to parents, you know?"

"A relief? Why?" He shook his head, stirring his tea. "My dad never tells me anything about this stuff."

Tutu's face grew grave. "You can understand why, now."

Stiles nodded. "It's hard for him to be without my mom." Then a thought struck him, and he stared at her in horror. "Does that mean — he always  _knew_  that she was going to die?"

"Who can say? Some people choose not to look ahead. I didn't, until George got sick. Then it was a relief to know we had so much more time together, even if we spent most of it apart." She went to the counter and brought back a Tupperware container with a red lid, handing it to Stiles. "But you asked why it would be a relief. I think most parents spend a good deal of time hoping their children will be happy and fulfilled. Why would we not want this kind of connection for them? It doesn't guarantee happiness, but it's a pretty good shot, don't you think,  _keiki_?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He opened the container and took a cookie, looking around himself as he nibbled. The kitchen was full of things that told the story of forty-seven years of George and Marjorie, even if no one would have known it. Stiles himself only knew about some of them. "We've got some pictures of my mom in the kitchen. But I bet there's stuff all over our house that reminds him of her, all the time. That's got to suck."

"I bet you don't need things to remind you of your  _uhane hoa._  He's always with you, even when he's away. Which can be a burden, at times, but I think one we are willing to bear." She smiled. "Take the cookies with you, okay? Share them with Danny."

He pushed his chair in, clutching the cookies to his chest. "Do you think I could come with you on Thursday to see George? I know Danny would want to be there too." He paused, then added, "He's uh, not studying."

"I suspected," she said. "But he's all right?"

"He's — kind of sick. But he'll get better. I'm… taking care of him. Me and my friends. We're giving him what he needs."

"Of course you are." She reached across the table and clasped his hand with her own wrinkled ones. "George would love to see you on Thursday."

"Awesome. I'll be here. The usual time?"

She nodded. "We'll leave here at four-fifteen, when Cara gets home from school."

In Danny's room, Stiles shoved three t-shirts, three pairs of underwear and the pair of jeans with the ripped belt loop into Danny's old Boy Scout backpack, along with Tutu's box of cookies. He added Danny's toothbrush, the cinnamon toothpaste he preferred, a new razor and Danny's dandruff shampoo. He picked up Danny's stuffed bear and considered adding it, too, before putting it back on his bed. Instead he folded up Danny's robe and tucked it inside the backpack.

He sent a text to Scott on his way over to his own house.  _Is your walk taking you anywhere near my house?_

 _Not really,_  said Scott, _but I could come over there anyway._

_I don't know how much time I have, but yeah, if you don't mind?_

He wasn't prepared to explain to Scott in text why he didn't want to talk about this at Jackson's apartment. They would make it short, and then it would be done, and Scott could do whatever he thought was best.

 _And I can go back,_  he thought, shifting uncomfortably on the Jeep's driver's seat,  _and start day three of sexual servitude._  It wasn't exactly a glamorous task, but Stiles didn't think it was so awful either. Or at least it hadn't become awful. And even if it got awful, he was pretty sure he could deal. There wasn't anyone else with whom  _forever and ever_  sounded like a good thing, but with Danny, he couldn't imagine it any other way.

He left Danny's backpack in the car. In his own house, with no one else home, Stiles went to his room and lay flat on his bed for about three minutes, appreciating the quality of silence and being alone. That was about all he needed, but those three minutes felt damn good.

By the time Scott arrived, he was vertical again, sitting in front of his computer. He waved when Scott gave the door frame a perfunctory knock.

"How can I have four  _hundred_  emails?" complained Stiles. "I've been offline for  _three days._  I didn't even bother to check Tumblr." He pressed the power button on his monitor in disgust. "I swear, I'm giving all this shit up."

"You've already got the ultimate remote communication device," Scott agreed. "Only yours is in your brain. Or your heart. Or somewhere."

Stiles probed his connection with Danny for the millionth time, but he was still quiet. "I can't imagine he'll be asleep much longer. I guess I could just stay here and let everyone else take care of him tonight, but…" He shook his head. "That's not what I want. It's not like I don't trust everybody else. I just really want to  _be there._  I told Danny, I think the pairbond affected our pack bond, and vice versa." He gave a little laugh. "Maybe I'm just that jealous. Or kinky. But I don't think it's either of those things."

"Maybe it's both of them," said Scott, deadpan. He ducked and laughed when Stiles swatted him.

"Maybe! Whatever. I'm willing to admit to being a little of both." He wheeled around in his chair, facing Scott, and took a deep breath. "But I needed to talk about you. About you, in the pack."

"Okay." Scott sat down on the edge of Stiles' bed, looking concerned. "Is there a problem?"

"No. Well, maybe. No." He shook his head. "There's no problem with you. I just… I think we need to bring it up before it becomes a problem. At least, Allison said we should. Danny said I could do whatever I wanted, so this isn't, like, an Alpha mandate or anything."

"What are you talking about?"

"About… you know, this pheromone thing. With Danny."

Scott nodded slowly. "What about it?"

Stiles picked at the upholstery on his desk chair. "I'm assuming you can sense it. Smell it. Whatever."

"Yeah."

"And it doesn't freak you out, or else you wouldn't be there. And, uh, obviously you've decided guys are not out of the question for you. Unless you think Isaac's the only guy in the world you would ever…?" He raised an eyebrow. Scott was already red. He shook his head, and Stiles exhaled. "Okay. Yeah."

"Stiles… I don't  _have_  to… to take a turn. With Danny."

"I know."

"I was thinking I shouldn't. That I wouldn't. I think it might be better that way."

"That's not what I'm saying, Scott."

Scott shook his head. "The last thing I want to do is make things more complicated for you."

Stiles laughed. "I don't think that's possible. What I need from you is words. I know I'm supposed to be the word guy, but… right now I feel kind of worded out." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, studying Scott. "Can you just answer a couple questions for me?"

Scott nodded, already looking uncomfortable.

The question burst out of him, as unreasonable and petulant as it had always sounded in his head. "How did I never know you liked guys? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't exactly tell me, either," Scott pointed out. "I mean, I  _found_  out, and maybe you gave me lots of clues, but it wasn't like you came to me and said,  _Scott, I like guys._ "

Stiles nodded, staring at his hands. "You're right. It was a stupid question."

"I didn't say that," he said softly. "For me, I just… the only thing I can tell you is I didn't feel comfortable with it myself. I still don't. I'm sorry. And when you realized what was going on with Danny, that's right when Isaac and Allison got together."

"Yeah, I bet that was weird."

"It wasn't, though? We… he and I, we were already…"

Stiles glanced up at him, surprised. "Wait, what? You've got to clarify the timeline for me, because I thought you said this whole thing was Allison's idea."

"It was. But Isaac, when he was living at my house… that's when that started, with him."

"In  _junior_  year?"

Scott hung his head. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"Hey, it's okay," Stiles said. "I didn't really mean to bring you here to talk about you and Isaac. He's great, that's all fine. I have zero problems with him, or the three of you."

"Yeah, I didn't ever think you would." Scott gave him a little smile. "But you still have a problem with me being part of the rut."

Stiles shook his head. "Only this: I want to be there."

"Yeah, you said." Scott paused, then his eyes opened wide. "Oh. When you say  _be there,_  you mean…"

"Up close and personal." Stiles nodded. "I think it's pointless for me to try not to be involved. I can feel all of it already. This is about  _our_  pack, and… I think whatever biological connection we have is telling me I  _should_  be there."

"Okay, yeah." Scott nodded. "That makes sense."

"So… I think, you're part of this pack, you should do the pack thing with Danny like everybody else. But I wanted to make sure that you and I would still be cool." Stiles watched Scott listening, taking it in, processing every word. He wanted to check in, to see if this was too much or anything, but he kept going. If he stopped, it would be so much harder to start again. "Being the human in this mix means it can't be about pheromones. It has to be about something that's true all the time."

Scott sat up on the bed. "Well, that's easy. What's true for me is I love you."

Stiles found himself stuck between sentences, staring at Scott with an open mouth. Scott shrugged.

"We've both said it before. You're my best friend. That's not going to change no matter what we do, or don't do. I think what you and Danny have is great, but I gotta say, you and me? We  _chose_  this. It's not going away, and that's for no other reason than because we don't want it to."

"Okay," said Stiles, his mouth dry.

"Okay," echoed Scott. He leaned forward and hooked a hand around Stiles' neck, pulling him into a rough hug. "So are we done here? I think you'd better get back to Jackson's if you want to be around when Danny wakes up."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, as I knew it would, it happened. This is the chapter with the threesome with Scott. Warnings for m/m/m sex, bottom!Scott, blow jobs and discussion of fantasies. 
> 
> As I'm winding this story down, I have some specific things I'll be covering in terms of plot, but if you want anything specific, now would be a good time to ask for it. 
> 
> -amy

 

Lydia was the only one at the apartment when Stiles and Scott returned. Before he could get angry about that, she gave him a pacifying hand-wave.

"I made Jackson leave. He was driving me nuts. Everybody else went out when you took off. I suspect they'll be back tomorrow, though." She linked arms with him and brought him over to the couch.

"What if Danny had woken up?" he said.

"I would have taken one for the team," she said brightly. "What, you think I can't handle an Alpha werewolf? And don't say  _gay,_  because I'll say  _rut trumps gay,_  and I've read more books than you have about it. Which is to say I've read one book." She glanced at the coffee table, where the leather-bound volume was sitting beside her overflowing notebook. "I think it might be the only book, actually."

"I'm going to stay," said Scott. "Until Jackson gets back."

Lydia raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd say  _you're so sweet_  if I wasn't certain you had ulterior motives."

Scott didn't take the bait. He just settled into the chair in the corner and closed his eyes, appearing to doze.

"Allison put Danny's laundry in downstairs." Lydia was already heading toward the door. "I'll go change it." She let the door swing shut behind her.

Alone with Scott, Stiles paused uncertainly. "You sure you're okay?"

"Stiles,  _go."_  He motioned at the bedroom, not even opening his eyes. Stiles didn't argue any more.

He opened the backpack and began to take things out, Danny was apparently asleep, but within thirty seconds, he was stirring and blinking his eyes.

" _Ku'u lei,"_ he murmured, opening his arms.

Stiles didn't even bother to take off any clothes. He just climbed onto the bed and into Danny's embrace. It was as calming as any drug he'd ever taken, including the prescription ones in the container in his pocket.

"Can I put you in a bottle and take you with me everywhere I go?" He pulled Danny's arms more tightly around himself, like a cape.

"That would be pretty limiting," said Danny. "Even if it was a house-sized bottle. And then you couldn't exactly carry it with —"

"Okay, okay." Stiles poked him in the ribs. "You're hilarious. Way to return to the world of the living, though. I think you were asleep for three hours."

"I'm recovering." He kissed Stiles on the cheek. "You wore me out."

"Uh,  _no._  I think that would be all you. Have you been keeping a tally?"

"You really want to know?"

Stiles deliberated, squashing up his face. "Okay. Maybe I don't. But have you? Oh — we could follow the timeline thingie back and look at it! Then we could count."

"Timeline thingie." Danny sounded so amused and  _normal_  that Stiles rolled over and kissed him, just like he would have on any ordinary day. It took about ten seconds to go from  _normal_  to  _holy shit_ , but the initial moment was still comforting. He didn't even comment on Danny's wolf claws poking him in the shoulders as he held him down and climbed on top of him.

"I guess it would be a bad time to talk about my visit with your grandmother?"

Danny wasn't so far gone that he couldn't consider the question. His growl was gentle, rippling under his breath.  _Later._

Stiles gave up trying to have a conversation and let Danny's actions carry the moment. They were used to nonverbal communication anyway, and during sex, the kind of shared thoughts and ideas that came up usually just made it hotter for both of them.

At the moment, Danny's fantasies were a little on the one-track side. If they'd had a soundtrack, they would have been straight-up porn, and not even the classy kind. Stiles had never heard Danny say the words  _gonna fuck that ass_  out loud, but he sure was saying it now, at least conceptually. In those moments when Stiles closed his eyes and let Danny's single-minded thought fill his head in the same way Danny was filling another part of him, over and over and over and over again, he got a little dizzy.

He'd never thought disparagingly about being the bottom in the relationship. Nine times out of ten that was what he wanted anyway. Danny fit him perfectly, and Stiles liked that he was dominant without being obnoxious about it.

On the other hand, when it came to sexual fantasies, there was something to be said for the grass being greener. Whatever they  _weren't_  doing in bed was usually what caught Stiles' attention. Danny was used to ignoring Stiles' occasional fascination with breasts and other girl parts, and he was kind enough not to tease Stiles about his crushes on various celebrities. They'd only barely touched on the heart-pounding, terrifying sex dreams he'd had about Derek, but Danny knew about those too. The truth was, there  _was_  nothing in either of their minds that was taboo, because it was all laid open to scrutiny by both of them. And now…

_Isaac?_  Danny thought musingly. Stiles felt the grunt forced out of him by the pressure of Danny's body.  _He smells good. Like pack. Compliant._ He gulped at the very sudden and very graphic image of Danny taking Isaac's throat in his werewolf fangs as he mounted him.

Stiles' fantasies about Isaac were less specific, but he tentatively shared his own appreciation for Isaac's wide-eyed timidity and wholehearted dedication to Allison and Scott.

_Not to mention his cute ass,_  he added.

_You should take him,_  Danny said. He wasn't being demanding, but his desire was clear. He would be proud to watch Stiles claim Isaac in the rut, in his stead. The idea was so startling that Stiles found himself thinking about nothing else, and then he was driving his cock into his own fist, rushing to come first for the first time in over twenty-four hours.

"Wow," he croaked, dazed and shaken. "That… that's new."

Danny nuzzled the back of Stiles neck, still fucking him slowly.  _My idea, maybe? I gave it to you?_

Stiles supposed that could be true, and it was even likely, given the effect of being surrounded by all of the betas of his pack during his rut. But he shook his head. "I don't think so."

_You gave it to me, then._ Danny didn't seem to care, or even differentiate much between himself and Stiles, especially not in this moment of greatest contact.  _We'll take him together. You bring him to us?_

"God." He had to wonder how Scott was going to feel about  _that_ request _._  "He's… he's not here. It's just Scott and Lydia, and Jackson."

_Jackson._  Danny paused in the effortless, relentless movement of his hips to sniff the air.  _No, he's three miles away. Lydia's home with her family. Scott. Scott is here._

_You can tell how many miles away people are from their smell?_  No matter how many amazing things he'd seen, Stiles never stopped being surprised by what werewolves could do.

Danny pulled Stiles down onto the bed, wrapped in his arms, still inside him.  _There are six Omegas within twenty miles of us. My instinct tells me to draw them here, but I won't. My thinking mind is still in control. I know we're already strong enough, the seven of us._

"Thanks," he said. "Really, I know that's got to be hard to tell your wolf-brain to shut up. I'm glad you're doing it, though, because… I don't think we need any new pack members right now."

Danny nudged him with his hips, finding the a particularly sore spot inside. Stiles couldn't hide the wince even if he'd wanted to.

_Bring Scott, then._

"Uh…" He felt himself tense. Isaac was one thing, but even after their conversation at his house — maybe even more, now — the idea of doing this with Scott felt like a Big Fucking Deal. He gave Danny the five-second mental review of their conversation.

_Of course he loves you. That's why this works, this human-wolf hybrid pack._  Danny sat up, languidly withdrawing from Stiles' body, breathing deep. Stiles watched in morbid fascination at the steady red glow of his eyes.  _He gave his consent to be my beta wolf. He will consent to this._

"No, I — I know. He's cool with it." Stiles looked down at himself, still wearing his t-shirt and one sock, at the stained and sticky sheets, and grimaced. "I just… my aesthetics are offended. Can we take a half hour to open the window and air this place out?"

Danny gave him a sharp-toothed smile.  _That will definitely bring the Omegas, all six of them. And Scott appreciates the concentrated pheromones. Don't deny him that._

"Okay, okay." He sighed. "Change the sheets, at least? Trust me, if  _I_  think it's gross, Allison will totally hate it, and she was planning to be here with Isaac."

Danny picked up his robe from the pile of clean clothes and tied it around his waist. He was still only halfway decent, anyway, because his cock wasn't exactly playing fair, poking through the gap in the fabric, but Stiles appreciated his effort.

_I'll change the sheets. Unless you would rather I be the one to get Scott._

Stiles wasn't sure which role was more intimidating, but he just said, "No, I'll get him. He's my best friend, after all. Okay if I shower first?"

Danny's affirmative came grudgingly. It was a definite departure from Danny's fanatical preference for cleanliness, not to mention his absolute insistence on regular waxing and shaving. Stiles wondered how long Danny would tolerate letting his facial hair get before he gave in and used the razor Stiles had brought. He barely needed one, himself, but he used it on his cheeks and jaw anyway.

"After all," he told himself in the steamy mirror, "if you're going to be naked in a bed with Scott McCall, you'd better be…" He took a shaky breath. "Fuck. I can't even finish that sentence."

He put on a clean t-shirt and sweatpants before going out to sit across from Scott, who was still curled up in the chair. Scott opened his eyes and watched Stiles.

"You, uh." Stiles scratched his neck. "You heard all that?"

"I was trying not to listen," said Scott. "It's pretty easy to distract myself now, but… the smell. Danny's smell. That's hard not to notice. It's all over… everywhere."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, what's that like?"

"It's compelling? Interesting, more like a puzzle than a food." Scott was sitting forward as he spoke, apparently following the scent with his nose, and ended up about a foot away from Stiles, who shrank back.

"I did shower," he said defensively.

Scott laughed quietly. "No, it's fine. You're not doing it on purpose. Danny's not either, for that matter."

"He wanted me to — to ask you," Stiles began, then shook his head. "No. Not to ask. To come and get you and bring you to him."

Stiles watched Scott's eyes flick to the bedroom. He gnawed on his lip. "I don't think I can do that."

Stiles frowned. "I thought we talked about —"

"No," said Scott, putting up a hand, "I mean, just because nobody else is here. I promised I'd keep you safe, right?"

"Oh! Aww." Stiles grinned at him. "Hey, I'm okay. No bruises, even. Seriously, you can check. I think it would be all right?"

Scott was reaching for his phone. "Jackson should be here."

"Scott," Stiles said. "I don't think — Jackson's three miles away. I already made Danny stop long enough to change the sheets. He's going to forget to be nice pretty soon."

"No," said Scott steadily. He looked at Stiles, and he wasn't smiling. "He won't."

Stiles sat there, feeling weirdly jittery and flustered, while Scott waited for Jackson to pick up. He could feel the insistence of Danny's desire, as clear as ever, drawing him back toward the bedroom, but Danny's voice was quiet.

_You okay?_  Stiles asked, as much to say  _something_  as to get an answer.

_Are you?_  Danny asked. Even as he thought the words, Scott reached out a casual hand and rested it on Stiles' knee, face-up. Stiles stared at it, feeling the sweat coalesce in his own clean palm.

"I'm with Stiles," Scott said. It took Stiles a few moments to realize Scott was talking into the phone, to Jackson. "Yeah. He wants me to come in. You gonna… yeah, I can do that. No, it's fine. Thanks."

He nudged Stiles' fingers with his knuckles as he set the phone down. Stiles took his hand, letting Scott's fingers thread through his. They didn't seem to be sweaty at all.

"We talked about kids," he said. "While you guys were busy."

"Kids," Stiles said, bewildered. "You mean… who's kids?"

Scott shook his head. "The pack's kids. That's how it works for wolves. They're the pack's. They'd be everybody's. If we had any." He looked at their joined hands. "Which, you know, we probably won't this time around, since we have all human females."

Stiles could feel the tenuous control he'd accumulated starting to slip. "This… is not what I thought we would be talking about at this moment."

"We've kind of had a lot of time on our hands. And this… all of us, what we're doing. It's a big deal." He shifted his fingers, kind of like he was stroking Stiles'. "Isaac told me about how it would be afterwards. How everybody's more connected."

He licked his lips. "You think it'll be like that for us?"

"Maybe. If it's anything like it is for wolves, there's not a lot of cause for movement afterward. At least not out of the pack." Scott made an obvious effort to look up and meet Stiles' eyes, nervous but way, way calmer than Stiles himself felt. "But you can still tell me no, if you have to. No matter what Danny wants, I'll listen to that."

"No!" Stiles stared at him. "No way. I'm not going to chase you guys out of the pack. For one thing, we need you, all of you, but especially you. You're, like, the fucking chosen one. And… you and me, right? Like you said. We've gotten through all kinds of shit together. We can do this."

Scott flashed him an apologetic smile. "Yeah, we  _can,_  but… I don't think the rut's supposed to feel like a chore."

"Is that how it feels to you?"

He shrugged. "I'm trying to do what I can. To make it easier for you. Even if having me here right now isn't all that easy."

Stiles tugged on Scott's hand in confusion. "C'mon, Scott, is that — you think that's your job? To make it  _bearable_  for me?" He took Scott's other hand. Their knees were just inches apart, sitting across from one another. "You think it would be so awful, making a — a pack family together?"

"It sounds pretty good to me, actually."

"Yeah?" He paused, watching Scott's face. It was closed and troubled. "So what's the problem?"

The door opened. Before they could even disentangle their hands, Jackson strode in. He shook his head in disbelief.

"I swear, it's like walking into a brothel. I could smell him all the way to the highway. Why are you guys not fucking already?"

"It's fine," Scott said quickly. "There's no rush."

Jackson gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah, maybe you can make the human believe that, but you can't fool me." He came over and crouched down between the two of them. Stiles felt like he was in a distinctly intimate lacrosse huddle. "Look, Stiles, I know I've been an asshole about this whole thing."

"Uh…" Stiles wasn't sure what to do with straight talk from Jackson. "Okay? I mean, maybe?"

He pointed at Scott. "But this guy, in every conversation, he's  _always_  on your side. Doesn't matter what we're talking about." He glared fiercely at Stiles. "You'd better keep him. Whatever your beef is with Scott doing the wild thing with Danny, don't get in his way. You put up with me being in there, right? Look, if you want, I can distract you. We can sit out here and play video games while they go at it."

"I don't have a problem with Scott doing anything!" Stiles shouted. They both stared at him as he felt his face go hot. "I'm sorry. This is stupid. Scott, come on."

He hauled Scott out of the chair and pulled him toward the bedroom, still holding his hand. Scott came silently, but when they got to the door, he balked.

"Scott, I'm not freaking out," Stiles insisted, but Scott shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm scared," he whispered.

Stiles peered at him. "You're — why?"

"Because I've never… because I've always been on top. With Isaac."

"Oh." Stiles saw, suddenly, just how scared Scott really was. It went a long way toward eliminating his own fears. "Hey." He hugged him, feeling Scott shaking. "That's not something you have to worry about, okay? For one thing, I'm not gonna say it doesn't ever hurt, but wow, it's awesome. Really. I'm a total buttfucking convert."

Scott laughed, sounding a little hysterical. "I know it's a stupid thing to be afraid of. I just wasn't expecting this to be something I had to do for the first time with — somebody I'm not really into."

"You don't have to." Stiles grasped Scott by both shoulders and held him out to look him right in the face. "You don't. Believe me, I'm right there in Danny's mind, and he's not going to make you."

"I want him to, though. Jackson's right. It's…" Scott stared longingly at the door. "I don't want to say no."

"And you want me there?" Stiles asked.

"Yes," he said immediately. "Yes. I want you there. If you want to be there."

"Yeah, man. I know it's way more complicated than any of us expected, but… yeah." They were done waiting. He reached for the doorknob and beckoned for Scott to follow.

Stiles could see, as soon as the full dose of Danny's scent hit him, how Scott was changed by it. He was panting through his mouth, showing a hint of fang, as he was drawn toward the bed where Danny was waiting, still wearing his robe.

"We should use words," Danny said. Stiles could tell the effort he was exerting to form them with his tongue and lips, but Scott nodded, appearing relieved. They settled on the bed cross-legged in a kind of triangle shape, facing one another.

"I'm pretty sure you and Jackson didn't use any words," said Stiles.

"Two wolves didn't need them." Danny looked between the two of them. "But we're not just a wolf pack. We can't rely completely on wolf logic. This has to work for our human ideals, too."

"I don't know," said Stiles, shrugging. "I figured, the wolf logic can take over our pack every couple years. We can handle that."

"You don't know how often this will happen,  _ku'u lei."_  Danny's face was solemn. At the moment, he looked so much like his grandmother, it was eerie. "It only took me five months to reach maturity as an Alpha. What if the rut happens every year for us? Or twice a year? We have to be prepared for anything. And that means we need to talk about what we're doing."

"I'm not much of a talker," Scott said.

Danny smiled. His own fangs were hidden at the moment, but his eyes were shining crimson. "I'm not, either. But I believe in this pack."

Stiles could see in every glance, every shift of his body, the way Scott was consumed by Danny's words, his presence — and how he was resisting it. He reached over and grabbed Scott's hand. "Can I tell Danny what you told me?"

Scott nodded. Stiles let Danny see the conversation in his memory. While Danny processed that, he turned back to Scott.

"Would it be totally sappy of me to say I'm really proud of you for being here, even though you're scared?"

Scott laughed, ducking his head. "Yeah, it really would. And… thanks." He squeezed Stiles' hand. Stiles took a deep breath.

"Can I also say I feel super guilty for thinking the three of us together is really hot? I know that's totally not the point of this, but…" He shrugged.

Scott was looking at him with surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah. The last three days have kind of been one big hard-on, so I don't know how much participation you're gonna get from me, but… my brain is totally into it."

Danny watched them, remaining where he was, but he undid his robe and let it fall to the bed. Naked turned-on Alpha Danny was kind of the best thing ever as far as Stiles was concerned, but Scott didn't react, other than to flare his nostrils and take a shaky breath.

"Stiles is my pair, Scott," said Danny. "He's part of me, always. He can act in my place. Which is to say, if you'd rather have Stiles be the Alpha here, that's fine."

Stiles guessed he looked as startled by this news as Scott was. "Oh. That… let me just, um. Think about that for a minute."

"Wait a second," Stiles said.

_You don't have to tell me that wanting him frightens you,_  said Danny.  _I'm here to tell you, as your Alpha, that it's okay for you to give in to your own desires. Maybe it's even a good idea for you to have that experience, too._

_Scott doesn't need more complicated,_  Stiles insisted, his skin heating.  _Neither do we._

"It's not about it being complicated," Danny said aloud. "It's about it being what we need. What  _we_  need, as a pack." He reached for Scott, and Scott took his hand, still breathing hard. "Scott, if we lie down, it'll get easier to deal with, but… I also think it'll eliminate your ability to choose. I'd feel better if you'd do that first, before anything else happens."

_I can't do this, Danny._  Stiles wondered if he should let go of Scott's hand.  _I mean that literally. I don't have the superhero sex hormones. There's no way I can get it up again so soon._

The way Danny grinned at him, his fangs showing just a little bit, did not inspire any further confidence, but Danny's words made him quiver a little:  _You can. I can make you._

"I think," said Scott. He paused, coughed and tried again, his eyes on the pillow. "I think it would be best if I could have Stiles in front. Where I can see him."

_Take off your clothes,_  Danny said. He was already in motion, helping Scott out of his shirt. Stiles felt stuck, unable to move, until he saw Scott stumble to his feet, unzipping his jeans.

"You're sure about this?"

When Scott turned around, his eyes were yellow and glittering. "Yeah."

No matter what Scott had said about it not being like food, Stiles couldn't help but wonder what kind of nourishment they were drawing from the air. Each time Scott took a breath, he exhaled on a whine, like he was regretting letting the scent go.

There were parts of Scott Stile had seen, but had never spent a lot of time looking at. When Danny gathered Scott close, holding him wrapped in his arms — not unlike the way he'd held Stiles earlier that day — and said  _take his boxers off,_  Stiles realized that was about to change. He almost wanted to apologize for that.  _Hey, man, sorry, I'm gonna get personal with your junk now._ But Scott wasn't objecting. He lifted up obediently when Stiles put his hands on Scott's waist and let him tug his shorts down to his feet. Judging by the quantity of sticky stuff already coating Scott's stomach, he definitely appeared to be into what was going on.

"I won't do anything you don't ask for," said Danny. He looked so satisfied already, burying his nose in Scott's neck, Stiles wondered if he should try it, too. But then Danny reached out, pulling Stiles closer, onto the bed to face Scott, and his brain shorted out. All Stiles could do was watch his boyfriend caressing his best friend with clawed fingers, and try to keep breathing.

He was close enough now to feel each exhale Scott made on his own skin. Scott's arms were folded in front of him, held loosely by Danny, but his hands opened, reaching for Stiles' bare chest. Stiles moved in a little closer to let Scott touch him, and realized a little too late that other things of theirs were going to touch as well. They both made a noise.

"I bet you're kind of used to this," said Stiles. "Being like this with — with three people?"

"Not exactly the same." Scott's noise went from a soft sound to a gasp as Danny tilted his head back and dug in with his teeth. His hips collided with Stiles'. "Oh, fuck."

Everywhere Stiles looked, there was something else of Scott's he'd always put in the  _don't touch_  box. He carefully shifted his hands from Scott's chest to his shoulders, listening to Scott's noises escalate. He was close enough to reach behind him and stroke his fingers over the fur of Danny's wolf face.

"My pack," Danny growled, his voice thick and changed. Scott whined again, clutching at whatever part of Stiles he could reach. Stiles rested his face against Scott's.

"Your leg," he said, reaching down. "Bring it up here - yeah, rest it there on my hip. Give him a little room." He shuddered, feeling Scott's dick leave a sticky trail over his thigh as he shifted. "God, that's—"

_Need him relaxed,_  Danny told him.  _Kiss him._

"Oh, Jesus." Stiles nudged Scott's nose with his, tipping his head back from where it was resting on his chest. "Man… please don't hate me." He dove into his mouth, and Scott moaned, shock quickly giving way to loose, pliant thrusts against him.

He could feel Danny's hands, touching Scott, stroking him gently on his thighs and stomach, but avoiding his cock. The more frantic Scott got, the more Danny backed off.

"Need to," Scott panted, "let me just —"

"Not without me inside you."

Danny's words were almost impossible to understand now, but Scott got the meaning anyway. He stiffened, waiting motionless as Danny reached for Jackson's significantly depleted bottle of lube, waiting on the mattress beside him.

"You can jerk off while he's doing it," Stiles said. "It's better if you —"

"You." Scott's eyes were wide, glassy, the wolf pupils stretched wide. "You do it."

He looked down, quickly, then back up into Scott's face. "I could, uh. Blow you."

"Oh, god, Stiles." He hitched his leg up higher on Stiles' hip. "Yeah. You want to?"

Stiles nodded quickly, because there was no question he  _wanted_ , had never quite let himself believe he might get to, but —  _yeah,_  he wanted. He slithered down to capture Scott's dick before the moment was lost.

Even as he established a good grip, he could feel Danny's fingers, patiently rubbing the muscle below Scott's tight balls. That was unexpected, and hot, and also left him feeling strangely emotional. He and Danny were taking care of Scott, together — just as he and Scott were both giving what they had, for the good of the pack.

_Soon,_  Danny promised him. He stroked the pads of two fingers across Scott's hole, not pushing, just rubbing for a moment before returning to the perineum.  _You can have him. He'll beg for you next._

The idea was too much to contemplate. Considering just how hard he was at the moment, taking Scott in his mouth, Stiles couldn't deny that anything was possible.

_If he wants it, he can have it._

_Don't let him come until I've claimed him._

Scott was a pushy bottom, that was for sure. His hands were on Stiles' head almost immediately, guiding him with little tugs and nudges. When he started to gasp and thrust more rhythmically, Stiles slowed down.

"Take it easy," he said, when Scott began to complain. "Danny knows what he's doing."

Scott went soft again when Danny slid the first finger inside, but that just made it easier for Stiles to suck all of him. He squirmed a little, but he left his hands on Stiles' head, and when Danny's second finger joined the first, his noises shifted from complaint to appreciation. Danny and Stiles were able to double-team him very effectively with the added level of communication that existed between them. Every time he got close, they both slowed down, until Danny withdrew entirely.

_Take him in your mouth, ku'u lei. Don't bother stopping this time. I'll have him as long as I want him._

Danny rested Scott's leg on Stiles' shoulder, fitting himself in behind him. It wasn't surreal anymore, what they were doing, not with the taste and smell and sound of Scott and Danny all around him. Stiles had only fleeting thoughts of  _Scott and Isaac,_  but mostly his senses were full of what he was doing, right here.

Even though he was occupied with fitting himself into Scott's virgin tightness, Danny could tell what he meant.

_It's what Derek said. It's not about sex._

_It's totally about sex,_  Stiles objected. He slowed down yet again, reveling in the sound of Scott's pleading.  _It's just not_ _ **only**_ _about sex. But when is it, really?_ He grinned up at Danny, half-kneeling over Scott's hips.

Danny shook his head, looking amused and remarkably lucid.  _You are going to let him come at some point, right?_

_I kind of want to hold out until he taps out._

Danny stroked a gentle hand over Scott's sweaty hair.  _Not sure he's going to get there._

_Werewolves don't get sore? What the hell are you doing topping a guy like me, then?_

In unison, Danny thrust a little harder while Stiles sped up, and within ten seconds, Scott was coming loud enough to be heard next door. Stiles managed to extract himself from underneath before Scott collapsed on the bed.

"Oh my god," Scott murmured.

"I know," said Stiles, clambering on top of Danny, "that was easily the hottest sex I've had in… three hours."

Danny covered him with kisses while Scott recovered a bit, but as soon as he rolled back to face them, they were ready to focus on him again. Stiles smiled delightedly at Scott's expression.

"You were right," Stiles said, reaching for him. "That wasn't weird at all. It was just  _awesome._ "

Scott accepted Stiles enthusiastic embrace, laughing a little. "You, uh… made it really easy for me. Both of you."

_I wouldn't have expected anything less._  Danny propped himself up on one arm, grinning at both of them. Then, for Scott's benefit, he added, "Glad that worked for you. The two of you together, that's pretty hot."

"You didn't…?" Scott indicated Danny's lower half, looking more curious than concerned. "Does this just not go away for a couple days, or what?"

"It comes and goes. In a TMI kind of way, I think I'm in a state of constant release." Danny reached down and pressed a flat hand against his belly, close to the base of his cock. He grunted, and a little fluid spurted out of the tip. Scott's eyes widened.

"You might not want to elaborate in front of Lydia," he said. "She'll want to do experiments on you."

He shrugged. "That'd be all right. She deserves some benefits of being part of this pack, too."

Scott reached over a tentative hand and placed it on Danny's stomach. "But you're not done. With me."

"I thought I'd give you a rest," said Danny. "I know wolves can take it, but… I'd rather it be pleasant, at least."

Scott burst out laughing. "I'd say it was  _pleasant._  Yeah."

"Maybe you can let Isaac take a turn on top now," Stiles suggested. He cackled as Scott gave him a half-hearted push.

Danny sat up, reaching for his robe. "How about we eat something before we do anything else."

"You don't need to ask me twice," Stiles said.

When they emerged from the bedroom, Jackson had taken over Scott's chair in the corner. Allison was sitting on the couch with Isaac beside her. They both looked uncomfortable, but Scott went right over to them, hugging first Allison, then Isaac.

"I'm all right," he said. He sat back, holding Isaac's face in both hands, looking at him carefully. "Really. Don't be worried."

"Of course I'm worried," Isaac said softly. The kiss was brief, and the  _love you_  almost inaudible, but Stiles figured if he could hear it, everybody else could too. Allison let out a long sigh, and hugged Scott again for a long time when he was done with Isaac.

"They took good care of me," Scott said, which made Danny go a little pink, but he didn't say anything, just went on making his sandwich. Stiles warmed up leftover Chinese food, pausing to grope Danny under his robe when no one else was watching.

"I figured I'm in for it after you eat something," he whispered. "Unless you need to fuck something sturdier than a mere human."

_I'll fuck you as hard as I want to,_  he told Stiles, not looking away from the mustard he was spreading.  _And you'll take it, because you're a good boy and you do what you're told._

They were both laughing outright by the time Danny got to the end of the sentence. Even Jackson looked up with curiosity to find out why they were falling all over each other with hilarity.

"Just — never mind," gasped Stiles, waving them away. "Seriously, it's not important."

_You had to be there,_  Danny added, making Stiles start laughing all over again.

They ate quickly and returned to the bedroom, just as Danny had promised. The lucidity that had come over him that afternoon appeared to be vanishing. His eyes weren't red, but he held Stiles down by the scruff of the neck and fucked him methodically for a good twenty minutes without saying a word. It didn't matter. Stiles could feel his care and presence like a warm mist, surrounding him, silent and ephemeral. He came, snarling, and bit hard into Stiles' shoulder before collapsing into unconsciousness.

Stiles stayed with him, not because he felt like he should, but because he wanted to. The room smelled, quite obviously, like Scott and Danny. He basked in it.  _My pack. Mine._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for some dub-con and non-con territory in this chapter. 
> 
> There will be two more chapters, or possibly three, but the story is almost done. There will be almost endless opportunity for in-between stories, though, so think about what you want to hear and feel free to request scenarios for the pack in the comments.

Stiles fell asleep himself for a little while, although it wasn’t the dead-to-the-world kind of unconsciousness that Danny exhibited between bouts of lucidity. It was more like the pleasant kind of nap he was used to having after sex.

_The old kind of sex,_ he thought, mostly to himself, and stretched under the clean sheets. _The kind we used to have, just the two of us._ He prodded Danny with his mind, but there wasn’t any response. This wasn’t surprising. Wherever Danny was when he was asleep, he wasn’t usually in a place Stiles could access. Not that Stiles was feeling all that lonely at the moment, considering the circumstances.

As if on cue, there was a gentle _tap-tap_ on the door. He considered, for about two seconds, getting up and putting on some clothes, and then just called, “C’min.”

Scott peered around the edge of the door. “Uh… just checking?”

“He’s still out,” said Stiles, beckoning Scott in with one hand. It could have been any of them at this point and he probably wouldn’t have blinked at being naked in front of them. Well, maybe he would have felt a little self-conscious in front of Lydia. “Unless you were planning to kick me out of the room, you can wait here.”

“Stiles, I wouldn’t,” Scott protested, then sighed when he saw the grin on Stiles’ face. “Okay. No. It’s good.”

Stiles moved over toward the center of the bed to make room for Scott. “Not feeling too weird? After, you know?”

“It’s not weird.” Scott’s eyes slid over to Danny on the other side of Stiles, comatose and snoring very quietly. “I think it _could_ be, though, if I didn’t… if I don’t… keep going.”

“Keep going?” Stiles repeated, trying very hard not to make it sound like he was teasing. Scott grimaced anyway, but he nodded.

“If you don’t mind.”

Stiles had to laugh. “Dude.” He scratched his head, blinking as he took a long breath. “Uh, no, I don’t mind. Remember how I said I thought it would be hot? I was totally not wrong. Watching you guys together was…”

“But you weren’t just watching,” Scott said soberly. “You were… participating.”

Stiles scratched the back of his neck, feeling his skin heat. “Yeah. I thought we talked about that.”

“No, it’s not a —“ Scott paused.

“What?”

“I kind of feel like I made you do it.”

“Look, if anybody _made_ me, it was Danny. And he didn’t.” Stiles probed Danny’s sleeping thoughts again, and saw only vague echoes of their group encounter. It made Stiles wonder about Scott and his own complicated trio. “What about, uh, Isaac? How’s he doing with all of this?”

“He’s rolling with it.” Stiles could see Scott’s face change as he thought about Isaac, becoming both softer and more focused at the same time.

“Yeah?”

Scott shrugged, with a sideways smile. “He thought it was hot, too.”

“Yeah?” Stiles repeated, smiling back. He wanted to do something totally dorky, like reach out and stroke Scott’s hair, but he kept his hands to himself. “You told him about it? Could he smell us outside the apartment?”

“No, but he knew what had happened as soon as he got back. I think Danny made the right choice not to open the windows.”

Stiles thought about the distinctly dominant fantasies he’d had about Isaac earlier that day. It took him a few moments to realize the thoughts were actually Danny’s, surfacing in his barely-wakeful awareness. He cleared his throat, trying not to lose himself in the ebb and flow of Danny’s desire. “Allison wants to be with him, when he… does his part.”

Scott’s gaze moved briefly to land on Stiles before skittering restlessly away again. “Is that okay? I mean, I know you said it’s _all_ okay but—“

“Yeah, I think it’s good. That way Allison gets to be involved too.” He paused, seeing the glint of yellow in Scott’s eye. “You okay?”

Scott nodded.

“You, uh, said you… wanted to keep going?”

Scott’s fingers tightened on the edge of the bedspread, and his breath hitched. “When he wakes up.”

_I’m awake._ Stiles heard the words in his mind simultaneously with Danny’s low growl. Scott rose up into a crouch, whimpering, and without a word began to shed his clothes onto the floor, one piece at a time.

Stiles sat where he was and deliberately watched him do it, resisting the conditioned response to avert his eyes. It wasn’t easy. He’d been _not_ looking at Scott for a really long time.

“You sure you don’t mind me being here?” he couldn’t help asking.

“I’m sure,” said Scott. He was already doing that shallow-breathing thing, the one that told Stiles the scent was getting to him.

“Where do you, uh, want me to be?”

“Like before. That was good.”

Stiles nodded, trying to modulate his enthusiasm. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him away. “You mean, um, the blowjob? Or—”

While they both hesitated, Danny reached out with wolf-quick reflexes, grabbed Scott’s hand and _pulled,_ causing Scott to entirely lose his balance and sprawl naked on top of Stiles. They both gasped, Stiles from the impact and Scott probably from surprise.

“Uh,” said Scott, his eyes darting from side to side in mild panic, “I didn’t mean to —“

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Stiles. He wasn’t sure if it was Danny or something else keeping him calm. “I’m, like, his proxy, right? I’m just more of the Alpha here. And even if I wasn’t…” He smoothed his hands over Scott’s shoulders, cupping his head and pulling him close in a very naked, very sexy version of a familiar hug. “I’m good with this.”

Scott was not settling down. He was squirming all over the place, making little breathy _uh_ noises with each contact of their hips. When Stiles spoke into his ear, he actually moaned.

_This is what Scott sounds like when he’s turned on,_ Stiles thought, and before his brain could talk him out of it, he reached down with his hand and took hold of Scott’s dick. It was kind of ordinary, maybe a little thin and long, but it was _Scott’s,_ and when Stiles felt it let out a little squirt of something sticky into his palm, he murmured, “Oh my god, I can’t believe this.”

“I’m sorry,” Scott moaned. “I didn’t mean to —“

Stiles had to laugh. “Are you kidding me?” Stiles knew Scott could easily have pulled away from him, but Stiles intertwined his legs with Scott’s anyway, making it clear he wanted to keep their bodies locked together, with his hand gripping Scott trapped in between them. “You know how many times I’ve thought about this?”

Scott’s breath fell heavy on his chest, his fangs flashing between his lips with every exhale. He licked his lips. “Fuck.”

“Well, I don’t know if I ever went that far, but…” Stiles’ brain rapidly ran through each scene he’d ever imagined with Scott since his teenage libido had awakened, and he blew out a shaky sigh. “Okay, maybe I did. My bad.”

“Not… bad,” said Scott, gritting his teeth.

Stiles could just see Danny’s calculated expression over Scott’s shoulder as he mounted him. Scott’s tension peaked, then dropped away as every muscle in his body went limp. Stiles’ hand tightened on Scott’s dick, which was definitely not limp, and Scott made another one of those _uh_ noises again.

“Not bad?” Stiles echoed. “Yeah, I’d say. I’m really not sure how much I should take advantage of you right now.”

_You can have him,_ Danny assured him. He sounded very smug. _He is our pack. You can have him any time you want him._

It was completely improbable, considering how often Danny himself had fucked Stiles in the past three days, how good that sounded to Stiles. He wondered what might happen if he just pulled his knees up to his chest and reached down and spread himself open.

Danny’s reaction to that idea was remarkably enthusiastic. He growled deeper in his throat as he thrust into Scott. _Yes._

“No,” Stiles replied immediately. Before Scott could respond, he grabbed Scott’s face in his hands, making him look at him. “Dude, you can totally fuck me if you want, but I’m not gonna make you.”

Scott’s eyes glowed yellow as he blinked at Stiles. “Make me?” he lisped over his fangs.

“I mean it needs to be — the consent thingie. You need to say yes.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “It’s okay if you say no, but… there’s a whole lot of yes from me, here.”

“Yes?” Scott’s eyes finally seemed to clear. He braced his hands on the bed, raising his body up far enough that Stiles could shift beneath him. “You want that?”

“I want that,” he said. “Seriously? I always did. I was just too chicken to say so, and Danny’s been trying to get me to tell you for a while now.”

It didn’t feel like too scary an admission anymore. Danny was keeping up a relentless rhythm into Scott, each thrust prompting twitches to Scott’s dick in Stiles’ hand. Danny went on in silence for a while, but finally he paused, reaching around Scott to pat Stiles’ startled cheek.

_Make him,_ he advised. _Not going to take no._

“That’s the problem,” protested Stiles. “I can’t — not when he’s — I mean, you’re kind of hard to say no to.”

_Not going to take no,_ Danny said again. He reached around Scott and nudged Stiles’ hand aside. _Show you._

With a snarl loud enough to vibrate the window panes, Danny leaned over Scott and took his neck in his teeth. His hips snapped forward like a machine gun, hammering into Scott’s body in a way that would have caused permanent damage to Stiles. Scott simply gave in, curling into the pounding thrust of Danny’s body, and let Danny move him where he wanted.

_This is how it is, with wolves,_ Danny said. The concepts were more images at this point, but they were entirely clear. _Not consent. He belongs to me because I am the Alpha. You belong to me because we are paired, but you always have choice. He has no choice._

“I — can’t do that,” Stiles whispered. He watched with horrified fascination at the near-constant dribble of milky liquid leaking from Scott’s erect cock as Danny fucked him. “I want him to say yes, but I’m not gonna do anything to him unless he asks for it.”

The gulf between them loomed large as Danny took what he needed from Scott, who still wasn’t complaining. Every now and then, it became glaringly obvious to Stiles how _alien_ a werewolf’s thinking was. Finally, he sighed, moving in as close as he could get to Scott’s body, encouraging Scott’s limp arms to unfold and wrap around him again.

“This, at least, I know you already are cool with,” he said into Scott’s ear, generating another delicious moan. “You were always okay with the touching. The rest can wait until you can tell me yes for real.”

It went on for a remarkably long time. Stiles’ mind wandered into curious corners, forming hypotheses about how human ligaments and joints and tendons could tolerate this kind of abuse after one became a werewolf, and wondering if born-wolves like Derek were physically different in some way. Every now and then, he’d realize Scott was coming yet _again_ on his stomach, and he’d whisper what he hoped was encouragement as they slowed down and geared up for another round.

_You sure you’re not hurting him?_ he asked Danny at one point, but it was a pretty stupid question, considering the look of bliss on Scott’s face. He wondered if he’d ever have a chance to see Scott’s o-face without the aid of the rut.

It never really came to an explosive conclusion, but Stiles was starting to recognize the ebb and flow of Danny’s internal energy, even without the accompanying external signs. By the time he withdrew from Scott, both of them were nearly asleep. Stiles decided the best thing he could do was to put a sheet over both of them — so much for the clean ones Danny had just put on — and let them be. He kissed Danny, then after a needlessly self-conscious pause, kissed Scott too. They didn’t stir.

Lydia was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. She averted her eyes as he came stumbling in.

“Sorry,” he said, but she shook her head.

“You definitely get dibs,” she said. “That sounded intense. Better you than me is all I can say.”

“Yeah, well, this time it was better Scott than me.”

She paused, then rolled the glass shower door open just enough to see his face. “Are you okay?”

“I keep asking myself the same question.” He took a long breath, checking once again. “The answer keeps being _yes,_ so I think I must be.”

Lydia didn’t look convinced, but she let him go. “Get clean,” she ordered, “then come out to the kitchen. Jackson has something to say to you.”

The smell hit him before he realized what it was. On the table was an actual dinner, with a bowl of salad and rolls and a big pan of lasagna. Stiles looked wildly around the room.

“It was me,” Jackson said heavily, waving a hand from the couch. He sounded a little disgusted. “Dig in.”

“There has never been a time when the words _better than sex_ were more applicable than now,” Stiles vowed, sliding a spatula under a thick slice of noodles and cheese and dumping it onto his plate. It landed with a satisfying _splat._

“Jackson,” Lydia said. It sounded like a warning.

With a sigh, Jackson rose from the couch and came over to the table to sit across from Stiles. His face actually did look somewhat penitent.

“I’m supposed to say I’m sorry,” he said. “For bugging out on you guys earlier.”

“Seriously?” Stiles swallowed his mouthful of pasta and shook his head. “I think you made up for it.”

“I know, right? Chicks, they don’t get the importance of food.”

They both ignored Lydia’s loud sigh. “No, no,” said Stiles, “I mean earlier, what you said to me and Scott. You were trying to hold everything together.”

Jackson shrugged. “Smells like that worked out pretty good.”

“ _Smells_ like.” Stiles snickered. Jackson gave him a wide grin.

“I am swearing off boys entirely,” Lydia announced from the couch. When Stiles and Jackson both started laughing in earnest, she stood up with a dramatic flounce. “You can’t even apologize right. And _you?”_ She rounded on Stiles, and he managed to curb his hilarity enough to meet her eyes. “He doesn’t deserve to be let off that easily.”

“Okay?” Stiles glanced over at Jackson. “What do you think he… deserves?”

She stabbed a finger at Jackson. “You. Tell him you know this is a big deal.”

“This is a big deal,” Jackson said.

“And that you’re not going to run away again.”

Jackson nonchalantly glanced down at the nails on his right hand and buffed them on his shirt. “I’m not gonna run away again.”

“And you’ll give it up to Danny whenever he wants it,” prompted Stiles in the same tone.

Jackson scoffed, but he was grinning. “ _Not_ whenever. Just when he smells like _that.”_

“Now kiss and make up.” Lydia sounded triumphant. “I’ll be proxy.”

She leaned in and kissed Jackson until some of his attitude had worn away. While Stiles resumed shoveling lasagna and salad into his face, Jackson took a handful of raspberries from the bowl on the table and sighed.

“So when is your boy gonna be done with this shit?” he asked Stiles. “I want my apartment back.”

Stiles shrugged. “Don’t ask me. _She’s_ the one with the book.”

“Four days is about the minimum time for a normal rut. Might be as long as ten, but really, we have no idea.” Lydia patted him on the shoulder, and he shrugged.

“I’m gonna have to go shopping again, then. We ate most of what was in the fridge tonight. Pony up some cash. I’m not an ATM.”

When Jackson left for the store, none of them mentioned anything about leaving Stiles without another werewolf to guard him. Stiles doubted Danny or Scott were going to be up for anything other than sleep for at least a couple of hours.

“So what exactly _are_ you getting out of this arrangement?” Stiles asked Lydia, tugging on her sleeve. She settled in the chair beside him and served herself a bowl of salad. “Besides a chance to boss Jackson around, but you could have done that just fine without us.”

She munched in silence for a little while. Then she turned to face him.

“It’s a strange feeling to wake up one day and realize you’re a magical creature,” she said. “I’m not sure I know exactly how it was for Scott or Jackson or any of the others, but it was strange for _me_. As far as I know, I’m the only one of my kind.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I’m not so interested in spending my life explaining my freakshow qualities to others. Seems to me it would make more sense to find a place where I can belong. And at the moment, I have a lot of flexibility about what happens next.”

He glanced in the direction of the bedroom. “What does happen next?”

“I’m pretty sure we’re all going to college,” she said, sounding amused. “And, well, Stanford’s no Cambridge, but I suppose I can settle. They already offered me a very generous scholarship.”

Stiles found himself grinning speechlessly at her for long enough that she laughed and smiled back. Her cheeks were pink when he hugged her.

“That’s great,” he said, “that’s really great, I mean… wow. Really? You want to stay with us?”

“I think I already said that, doofus. And Scott said something about a chance to do some experiments on Danny? I think I definitely want to stick around for a couple mating cycles, at least. Give me a chance to gather some meaningful data.” She sniffed. “Anyway, that’s not the most important part.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a pack grows one of two ways, as I said. There’s the bite, which carries with it its own risks and challenges. And then there’s procreation.” She raised a meaningful eyebrow at him. “No matter how much he’s driven by the urge to mate, Danny’s never going to generate viable zygotes with either of the women in this pack. But it seems pretty clear that you are one half of a cosmic whole.”

Stiles closed his mouth, which had fallen open. “Are you saying —“

Lydia put a hand on his knee. “Let me put it this way.Under all your jabbering and your stupid hangups, you’re a pretty smart cookie, Stiles. You want to maximize the IQ potential of our available genetic pool?Even if Allison decides not to stick around after college, you and me, we’ve got an excellent chance of producing some superior Alpha offspring.”

“You want to have _babies?”_ he squeaked. “With _me?”_

“Maybe.” She smiled calmly. “Let’s see how things pan out, okay? No one can be certain what the future will hold.”

Even in the midst of his amazement at this concept, Stiles remembered what Tutu had said about the _mua ka wa mahope._ He hadn’t followed the video of his timeline with Danny too far in the forward direction, but he’d been able to go far enough to verify for certain that it worked just as Tutu had said it would. He swallowed. “Actually… I kind of can. At least where Danny and me are concerned.”

He gave her a sufficiently tantalizing summary of the _mua ka wa mahope_ as he’d had it explained to him. When Lydia demanded more detail, he had to tell her he didn’t have any.

“Though I bet Danny’s grandmother can tell you,” he said. “And, uh, maybe my dad.”

“Well?” she insisted. “Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“Your timeline! With Danny! How does it end?”

He shook his head. “I don’t actually want to know.”

“Well, _I_ do!” She glared at him petulantly. “Someday, will you tell me?”

“Yes,” he said. “When I go looking for it, I promise you’ll be the first to hear about it.”

She startled him by flinging her arms around his neck and hugging him. Stiles wasn’t quite sure what to do with her enthusiasm, but she really did feel very nice and soft in his arms.

“All right,” she said with finality, sitting on his lap. “Now I _really_ have to stick around.”

* * *

 

Scott was still asleep when Stiles came to bed, but Danny stirred and opened his eyes.

_I was beginning to worry about you,_ Danny said. He sounded groggy, but lucid.

“Lydia and Jackson took care of me,” he said. “There’s lasagna in the fridge.”

Danny shook his head. _I don’t think I need food at the moment._ He looked down at Scott’s prone form, curled up against the wall.

“Leave him,” Stiles advised, starting to shed his clothes. “I already texted his mom and told her he’s staying with us tonight.”

_Isaac is with Allison,_ Danny said. _Or so I’m guessing by the strength of his scent._

“Oh, by the way, speaking of superpowers…” As simply as he could, Stiles told Danny about the _mua ka wa mahope._ Danny just listened, and nodded thoughtfully.

_My grandmother never seemed all that surprised by the things that were happening with my grandfather. I suppose it makes sense she would know what to expect._ He gazed up at Stiles, then reached out for his hand and squeezed it. _Makes it a little easier to plan for the future, then?_

“I think there’s a bunch of people who are doing the planning for us,” said Stiles. “Scott said while we’ve been in here, they’re all talking about having kids. _Our_ kids. Mine, and yours. Pack kids.”

Danny’s smile was completely beautiful. Stiles watched it for a long time before he leaned in and kissed him.

_The rut brings the pack together and strengthens the bonds between us,_ he said. _Derek was right._

Stiles settled down on the bed beside Danny, snuggling up close. He could still smell Scott all over him, but it wasn’t unpleasant. “So when you realized you were capital-G gay, that there wasn’t ever going to be a Mrs. Mahealani, did you ever feel bad?That you wouldn’t have kids?”

_I always planned on having kids, ku’u lei. They might not ever be biologically mine. I could adopt.I kind of thought I’d like to have foster kids.My grandmother had six of them over eight years, before she got pregnant with my dad._

Stiles found himself relaxing as the idea took shape in his head, formed by Danny’s words.“That sounds — nice,” he admitted.“A little scary, maybe, but only a little.But I’m still not convinced.” 

His voice came out rough with disuse. “Convinced of what?”

“That you don’t still want to have your own kids.”

Danny let his eyes wander away.The sweat beaded along his collarbone made Stiles want to bend in and lick it, but he maintained enough focus not to do that. 

“I don’t…” Danny trailed off, not even bothering to finish the sentence. 

_It’s not like you have to do it tomorrow,_ Stiles offered.Danny’s laugh was barely audible.

_No.I’m too tired to think about doing anything tomorrow except sleep._

_And fuck us all again._

Danny let out a long sigh, rolling over onto his back. _I’m sore, but you must be a lot more sore than I am._

He wasn’t going to deny it.He crawled over to Danny and dropped his head onto Danny’s ribs, feeling them rise and fall with his breath. _I still want you._

_That’s pretty remarkable,_ Danny admitted. _I still want you, too. And I’m not even rutting at the moment._

“It wasn’t what I had planned,” said Stiles. “This thing we’re doing. But even without weird werewolf pheromones, I gotta say… it’s pretty great. I think it might actually work.” He turned to clasp Danny’s hands, bringing them up to touch his lips. “And I think we need a ring.”

_A ring?_ Danny’s voice was starting to fade, but he was still listening. _A wedding ring?_

“Whatever. The human signifier of an eternal relationship.” He touched the fourth finger on Danny’s slender hand. “Maybe we should get one for everybody, but you’re first.”

_We’re always going to come first. You’re my uhane hoa._

“You and me.” Stiles let his eyes slip closed, listening to the sound of Scott’s breathing in the bed beside Danny. “This pack begins with us.”


End file.
